#I’m gonna make pickled banana peppers

[allegorechoquilts]

Our city’s Parks and Rec department has a community garden/farm/playground that is totally 100% free. You can go once a day and get your allotment of veggies and herbs based on what the yield looks like. There is no limit to how often you can visit, some people go every day and get their free fresh veggies!

At the end of the picking season it’s a free for all with no limit on free produce. This is what we picked today!

I think this is such an incredible resource that my city offers, I love our little home so much! This is why government funded programs are important!

[tomatoluvr69]

tagged by @tedhead sort of

last song listened to: blues run the game— studio outtake by Simon & Garfunkel (I listened to this song like 20 times today it’s really really stuck in there.)

currently watching: on my fourth calendar year of getting through the sopranos. tv isn’t really a habit anymore after moving out of my covid situation in ‘21 lmao whoops. (Have watched maybe 15 sopranos eps in that time…) that’s ok to everything there is a season

currently obsessed with: now that I’m working in person in a situation where bringing lunch (ok actually it’s dinner but functionally it’s the same as everyone else who brings lunch) is part of my daily routine for the first time in…well a VERRRRRY long time like 5+ years or something so I’m getting really into making the most elaborate sandwiches and salads possible. I will definitely run out of steam, but right now I’m struggling severely with appetite so I have had to make my meals as attractive as possible so that I’ll actually choke em down. Today’s salad was raw garden collards, tiny little chopped up bell peppers and carrots, spinach, bit of cheese, sardine, and the dressing was tahini/daikon pickle brine/coarse mustard/potassium powder. And I threw some potato chips on top ok nopony cares about my amazing salad. But I’m getting super packed lunch pilled bc I have to…so might as well have some fun with it lol. Also made a big tray of caramel vanilla date banana & chia oat cake I’ve been eating during lunches yay and next week I’m gonna meal prep a bunch of doenjang chickpea and collard wraps and maybe try to invent some gingerbread cheesecake baked oats yay

Tagging: literally no one but please please do it and tag me please I want to read em

[lovelyirony]

hi hello i am feeling very angsty so: rhodeytony ft tony's worrying lack of interest in avoiding getting kidnapped and his bodyguard rhodes' increasing stress levels to save a boss that doesn't want to be saved (and, if the flutter in his heart should be anything to go by - should not be his boss anymore). bodyguard to lovers??

Rhodey is a good bodyguard. Hell, he’s the best. 

That was why Pepper Potts hired him, after all. He’s not easy to fool, can follow anyone with a dogged determination that nearly defies human nature. He’s had successful stories before with glowing reviews from multiple people from all different threatened backgrounds. 

(Including at least three world leaders and a pope.) 

Tony Stark is...new. Well, nearly new. He’s a businessman, which isn’t anything out of the ordinary for Rhodey to deal with. 

…except Tony’s highly eclectic, a billionaire, and purposely makes his behavior as erratic as possible. 

It’s fun. What can Rhodey say? He loves a challenge, and Tony is about as challenging as they come. 

-

When he first starts, Tony tries every trick in the book. Rhodey still sticks to him, although he does leave some distance. Tony tries to make him uncomfortable by bringing just about everyone who looks home, and all Rhodey says is, “you gonna feed them cereal when they wake up? Because that’s all you have in your pantry right now, and you don’t pay me to do the shopping.” 

Tony scowls at that, and then changes his strategy. 

-

It’s an odd strategy. 

Tony decides he will just make Rhodey his friend, starting with the nickname of “Rhodey.” 

“That’s stupid,” Rhodey says, because he can already tell it will stick. 

“Not my problem, just my solution,” Tony grins. “Now come on, we’re getting burgers.” 

They’re at a sit-down restaurant. One of Tony’s favorites, actually. Rhodey is not sure why he’s sitting down across from the man with the most influence in the world, but he is. 

“So, what’s new with you? Who are you?” Tony asks. “Pepper sent me your file. You’re from Philly, right?” 

“Oh my god, you sound weird when you say it like that,” Rhodey says, deciding against formality as he basically tells Tony Stark that he sounds weird and shouldn’t say “Philly.” 

“Oh what, is that not what the locals call it?” 

“I’m going to take you there and they’re going to beat you up.” 

“Not the worst Sunday night I’ve ever had,” Tony mentions. “Hey, look at the menu. I don’t want you to flounder when the waitress shows up and you know fuck-all about what they have to offer.” 

“Okay asshole, any recommendations?” 

“The banana milkshake and bacon-burger.” 

Rhodey looks at the menu. 

He does end up with the bacon-burger, but chooses strawberry for his flavor of milkshake. 

“You traitor.” 

“Oh am I? Well then let me tell Pepper that you stole the last good pen she had then-” 

Tony flings a fry at him, and Rhodey laughs. 

- 

Here’s a concerning thing: Tony has a very “c’est la vie” approach about kidnapping. 

Like he genuinely doesn’t really give a shit if he knows what’s going on, or even if he doesn’t. 

Rhodey was eagle-eyed and chased a van three fucking blocks and caught up to the driver, wherein he punched his lights out and got Tony out. His hands were bound in zip-ties and his suit was rumpled, but Tony just blinked at him. 

“You think you broke a racing record with that?” 

“Are you okay? Are you hurt? Did they take anything?” 

Rhodey’s all over Tony, checking for any injuries, any stolen wallets or watches, and thank god everything is there. (Not that Tony would really care if anything was stolen, save for his sunglasses. He spends far too much on those, in Rhodey’s opinion.) 

“Okay geez,” Tony says, batting Rhodey’s hands away. “I’m fine. These people were amateurs. Shit, I’m running late for my consultation meeting, aren’t I?” 

“You just got kidnapped,” Rhodey says, tone rife with disbelief. “You just got taken and your concern is with the consultation meeting?” 

“Well I figured that you were going to come by or I’d be gone a lot longer, but now that I’m not? Yeah. Yeah, I am concerned with the consultation meeting. It’s a tech start-up company, only not that shitty Silicon-nice-guy start-up. It’s a more inclusive thing. I don’t know, I read their little ‘about’ section on their website. Which needs work. But that’s besides the point.” 

Rhodey just follows, dumb in disbelief. 

The few rare times that previous clients have been kidnapped or even attempted, they’ve needed a day to recuperate at minimum. They were shaken up, and usually beefed up the security for the rest of time after it. They also scheduled therapy appointments. 

Tony treated this like it was a traffic jam and he was only running five minutes behind. 

- 

The second time it happens when Rhodey’s there, it lasts a little longer. 

Rhodey has to admit, he maybe did some...under-the-radar looks. The FBI wasn’t moving fast enough, and the legal channels weren’t up to snuff. And besides, Tony did say that he could use Jarvis if he really wanted to. 

(Turns out they both went to MIT at the same time, and Tony had been that obnoxiously short guy in his econ class that rarely showed up, but when he did he showed up in a suspiciously nice outfit.) 

It was a weekend. Rhodey had gone away for two seconds to get a drink for Tony and then he was gone. 

It was...bad. 

The problem is this: 

Tony definitely doesn’t need to be kidnapped as often as he is. He has so many inventions that can prevent that, he’s sold quite a few of them to the military. 

But for some fucking reason, he doesn’t want to be saved. No, he’s content just going along with what’s happening, even though everyone else around him wants him back. Needs him back. 

He finds him bruised and tied up to a shitty folding chair. 

“Hey darling,” Tony says, lips a bloody red. “Can you believe this chair? I would’ve thought they would at least have gotten something a tad nicer. I am their best-dressed guest, after all.” 

Rhodey looks over the torn shirt and the pants that have all but been shredded. His shoes are battered and stained beyond repair. 

“Don’t,” Rhodey says. He sounds tired. He is tired. “Don’t do this.” 

“Don’t do what, get kidnapped? I hardly try,” Tony snaps. “Or do I just have a sign on my back that you didn’t know was there?” 

“You know I was in the Air Force,” Rhodey snaps back. “I got high enough clearance that I was one of the guys who got to see what brand new toy you sent our way. I know you could use any of those, shit, you probably tested it out, so you would know.” 

“And your point?” Tony asks. “What, you’re saying I should know better? Saying you know better than me?” 

“You know what? Yeah, yeah I am saying that,” Rhodey yells as he’s untying him. “I am fucking saying that I know more than you because you couldn’t give less of a shit if you tried about your own well-being! You were kidnapped and I’ve been running myself ragged trying to get you back, and you just don’t care!” 

Tony stares at him. Really stares at him. 

“Let’s go home.” 

Nothing else is said in the car ride home. Tony can’t even look at Rhodey. 

They go home, where Pepper greets Tony with a hug and makes him swear not to leave again, and Tony says “I promise,” only they both know that he’s lying. 

But they’re not calling him out on it yet. No, not tonight. 

- 

Rhodey stays. Technically he doesn’t have to. Jarvis is the most advanced artificial intelligence system in the world. Hell, he’s the only one that’s even in his league, but Rhodey just...feels better staying. 

And Tony’s mansion is a gargantuan structure with about twenty different rooms to choose from, so Rhodey gets a nice view and tries to go to bed. 

He’s never gotten enough sleep. He knows he never would. That’s why the army loved him: he could be up at any hour and he’d be fine. That’s why his dad called him the bane of his existence in a loving manner: Rhodey would be up at four in the morning filling out the crossword before anyone else could. 

He’s up at four a.m. making breakfast. 

Tony’s pantry is still shit, but it looks like Pepper went shopping for him or had someone else do it, because he actually has eggs and juice and actual food instead of the odd pickle jar or way-too-old yogurt. 

“You’re...up,” Tony says. 

Rhodey turns around. 

“Sorry. I, um. Stayed.” 

“It’s fine,” Tony says awkwardly. “What are you making?” 

“Omelet.” 

“I always mess those up,” he says. “Either too much cheese or I forget I’m cooking it.” 

“You want one?” 

“You gonna make me one?” 

“Accidentally cracked one too many eggs, so yes. You want onions and spinach in yours?” 

“Sure,” Tony says. “What are you doing up?” 

“Always bad at sleeping,” Rhodey answers. “Can never really stay asleep for too long.” 

“Forget to take your melatonin gummies?” Tony answers, grinning. 

Rhodey can see a bruise on his collarbone. 

“You sleep okay?” 

“No, but I rarely ever do,” Tony says. “Especially after yesterday’s fiasco.” 

“You mean the whole weekend,” Rhodey says, putting the rest of the eggs into the pan. “Can’t imagine that was fun.” 

“Oh come on, it was a ball,” Tony answers sarcastically. “They let me play cops-and-robbers and I was given pizza. Clearly it was a fantastic time.” 

Rhodey stares at Tony. 

“You know in the contract that I had you sign it specifically states that you have to let me help you, right?” 

“It says you have to rescue me regardless of feelings or previous obligations,” Tony says. 

“Rescuing you doesn’t just mean I chase after vans and track you down in an abandoned warehouse, it means that I rescue you from those situations before they can happen. But I can only do that if you agree that you won’t get kidnapped,” he says. 

“And what, I want to?” Tony asks. “Do I say that?” 

“You don’t have to,” Rhodey says, flipping the omelet over. “You never think you’re worth rescuing it because you think you’re never going to be good enough and I think you think that you owe me for giving a shit.” 

Tony looks at him. 

“You’re really honest.” 

“I try to be.” 

“I love that about you.” 

Rhodey’s hand shakes slightly as he moves the omelet a bit in the pan. He hopes Tony doesn’t notice. 

“Well I would love it if you stopped being kidnapped.” 

“Aye aye, Colonel Rhodes,” Tony says, saluting. Rhodey rolls his eyes. 

“Oh my god, do not.” 

“What, am I not supposed to thank our armed services for making this country safe?” he mocks, standing up. “For going above and beyond the call of patriotism and helping keep Americans everywhere safe?” 

Rhodey threatens to eat his omelet when he breaks into singing the national anthem. 

- 

There’s an...understanding. 

Tony starts taking up training with Happy and almost agrees to regular training with Rhodey until Rhodey wants him to get up at six and do some workouts, and he yells “No!” after one workout session. 

Rhodey pointedly pretends like he’s not staring at Tony’s chest when he lifts up his shirt to wipe away the sweat. 

“Come on Rhodey my darling, let’s do breakfast.” 

Tony dragging him to breakfasts, lunches, and dinners. It’s...nice. Rhodey ignores it when Tony waggles his eyebrows as he takes the check and calls him “darling, honey, baby,” and he lets him because it sounds nice. 

He doesn’t say anything to Tony. No, you can’t date your boss. It’s unprofessional as hell and Tony probably is just doing it because Rhodey’s in close proximity and they have a good banter going. 

- 

The next time that Tony has an attempted kidnapping, Rhodey is there. 

He’s there, and he’s being taken away, dragged from Tony, and Tony for the first time looks terrified. 

Rhodey tries to struggle, tries to do anything, because Tony has to get away, and he...

He’s knocked unconscious. 

-

When he wakes up, his head hurts worse than it ever has, and for a moment he’s pissed at Tony because he forgets that he’s been kidnapped and there’s no control over the thermostat because the room is hot as all get out. 

And then he sees Tony across from him, and he’s never seen Tony angry. 

“I’m sorry,” Tony says, voice shaking. “I’ll get us out of here. I promise. I’m sorry.” 

“Not your fault we have assholes take us,” Rhodey says. “But god I would kill for some air conditioning.” 

Tony smiles a bit at that. 

- 

Here’s a problem: you cannot give Tony Stark anything if you want him to not escape. Either that or he has to be unconscious because he’s a stubborn son of a bitch. 

And they used actual handcuffs to keep him there. God, what a joke. 

Tony learned how to break out of handcuffs when he was twenty and chained to a bedpost on accident. (Long story.) 

This is nothing. 

But the problem is that Rhodey’s here. His bodyguard who really shouldn’t be putting his life on the line for someone as shitty as Tony, but here they are, and he has to get him out. 

“Follow my lead,” Tony whispers. 

“Well of course I will, who else has as much experience being kidnapped as you?” Rhodey mutters. 

“Okay is now going to be the time where you sass me? You’re here too. I could leave you.” 

“You’re not gonna do that, Pepper would make you come back.” 

“No she wouldn’t.” 

“Yeah she would!” 

“Not after I tell her that you used the last of her salad dressing.” 

“Shit.” 

Tony snorts, looking at the room. They don’t have security cameras, which is just...questionable. Oh my god, he got kidnapped by amateurs. 

He’s kind of embarrassed. 

Rhodey gets free, and they’re both headed towards a door, and Rhodey picks up a stray part of a metal pole, and Tony cannot lie and say he’s not intrigued by that. 

Not saying he hopes Rhodey gets to use it. 

He’s just curious how he’ll utilize it. 

- 

They get to just. Walk out. They fucking walk out. What kind of people did they get kidnapped from? It can’t be that easy, can it? 

It can’t be...

It is. 

Okay sure Tony is driving in a hotwired car and they’re being shot at, but all things considered that’s not the worst thing. And the truck is probably considered stolen anyways, and once Tony makes it to the highway, it’s not like they’ll be able to follow without making it onto national news, not that they haven’t already. 

Pepper’s very effective at getting things to trend on national news when she wants to. 

- 

Rhodey is sitting on a beach chair. He shouldn’t be, and he also shouldn’t be drinking a mimosa because it’s four p.m. and definitely the morning, but he figures since he got kidnapped he’s allowed at least one mimosa. 

“So. Your first kidnapping?” Tony asks. “All things considered, yours went well. I think next time we should go to Wendy’s or something, I was starving-” 

“I’m just. I’m glad we’re okay,” Rhodey says. “But yeah. Maybe next time. If there is a next time. I’m going to I think make you hold hands with me so that you don’t get napped by terrible, shitty people.” 

“You could’ve just asked to hold my hand, we didn’t need to be kidnapped together,” Tony says. 

“Hm, is that a breach of contract?” Rhodey teases. 

“Only if Pepper decides to enforce it, and she won’t because you’re the first bodyguard to have an actual success story with me,” Tony says. “So. I’m thinking maybe we skip the kidnapping next time and go straight for dinner.” 

“Oh thank god, I thought you were gonna say a fast food restaurant.” 

“I still could, you don’t know,” Tony grins, winking. “What if our first date is to Burger King? What are you gonna do?” 

“Be mad that I still like you,” Rhodey grumbles. 

Tony cackles, dropping a kiss onto his hand. 

“Do you think I should get another bodyguard or will dragging you away during a party be too awkward for them?” 

“...I’ll think about it.” 

(They don’t get a new bodyguard. 

No matter how much the other security complains that Rhodey’s the only one who knows where Tony is at all times, and they can’t exactly ask them if they’re busy doing...things. 

Rhodey finds it hilarious.) 

[darkficsyouneveraskedfor]

One Night🌙6

Warnings: noncon sexual acts (to be warned later in series), nocturnal playtime, unwanted touching.

This is dark!Andy Barber and explicit. Your media consumption is your own responsibility. Warnings have been given. DO NOT PROCEED if these matters upset you.

Summary: One night changes your entire life.

for @kittykatlow​‘s 200 Follower Celebration

Note: I’m working on more drabbles and Eye of the Storm! But for now, enjoy some Andy.

Hope you enjoy it. Thank you. Love you guys!

Please leave some feedback, like and reblog <3

Your appointment went as well as it could have. The doctor ran bloodwork and several other tests as Andy nodded knowingly as if to say ‘I told you so’, which he also did aloud several times after. The drive home was a reiteration of what you should, and more enthusiastically, what you shouldn’t do. 

It was really starting to feel like he believed you were an actual child. Your own father had never talked to you in such a way. You couldn’t say the same for your mother but even she could reel it in long enough that you didn’t feel like a complete moron. Andy just seemed to latch onto every mistake you made and sink his teeth in until he tasted blood.

And like the teenager he treated you as, when you got back to his house, you stormed up to the guest room and slammed the door. You fell onto the bed and screamed into the pillow. Oh yeah, that long lost adolescent rage returned. Then it all drained from every inch of you and you rolled over to stare at the ceiling.

You could hear Andy below. You listened to him moving around, the decisive click of his polished leather shoes. He climbed the stairs and you heard him stop outside your door. He sighed and retreated to his own room. Your day off an you’d spend it like this; raging at your new warden.

The knock on your door made you flinch. 

“Hey,” Andy’s voice sounded decisively through the door. “I’m going into the office for the rest of the day. I’ll be in around six.” He paused and the handle jiggled but didn’t turn. “You know where everything is.”

You didn’t answer him. You waited until he left, the footsteps on the staircase, the front door, the soft rollover of his car engine. You sat up and pulled out your phone. A single voicemail; your parents’ number.

“Hey, kiddo,” Your dad’s voice rose from the speaker. “Your mom wants to know when you’re getting the rest of your stuff.” A slight pause and a cough. “You know I don’t care and you take your time but if she asks, I told ya to come get it… Love you.” The line buzzed. “And your mom loves you too but she’s just as stubborn as you, you know? Well, anyway, uh, bye.” Another glaring silence. “Oh, and it’s still my house. I’ll be happy to see ya, kiddo.”

You saved the message and dropped your phone to bounce on the mattress. You put your head in your hands as you tried to resist the overhwelming swell of sadness that overcame you. You didn’t care about your stuff and you couldn’t bring it here. You wouldn’t. Sell it, toss it, you didn’t care.

You sat up and dropped your hands to the bed in defeat. You were such a fuck up.

🌙

You avoided Andy for a few days. You found excuses to stay in your room when you weren’t working and even spent a good deal of time in the backyard, weeding the overgrown garden. It didn’t matter. Autumn was close and most of the plants were dead. It must have been her job, or maybe a cherished hobby.

Aside from Andy’s prickly nature, she made it harder. That stranger; Laurie. You were an imposter in her place; usurping her as she laid in a hospital entirely unaware. You only knew what the press put out. He never said much about it. Did you really expect him to? All he ever spoke about was you, the baby, and everything you did wrong.

After a rather long day at work, made longer by your suddenly returned appetite and the smell of cinnamon and coffee, you returned to the house and found yourself back in the yard. You sat at the patio table and scrolled through your phone. 

Felicia wanted to meet up the next night. You hadn’t told her yet. If she took you for drinks, as she always did, she’d figure it out pretty quickly. Well, why were you hiding it? You wouldn’t be able to for much longer. You already felt a little bigger, wider at least. Would it be so bad to tell? To not be alone?

You swiped away her text and bit your thumbnail. You’d think about it and send your answer before you went to bed.

The screen door clattered and you sat up straight. You looked up as Andy emerged and strode across the deck. He had a beer in hand and placed it on the glass table as he neared the other side of the table. His tie was gone, his top button undone, and his sleeves were rolled to his elbows.

“Here you are,” He said as he pulled out a chair and sat. “How was work?”

You shrugged and turned over your phone. “It was work,” You sat back and crossed your arms. “Do I ask you? Is that the right thing to do?”

He chuckled and popped the cap of the beer and took a swig. “Well, it was an exciting day. Had a defendant attack the judge. Didn’t get very close but a they took him out,” He turned the bottle on the table. “He got me good on his way out, even if he missed my face.”

You let your arms fall to rest over your stomach. You didn’t know what to say. Did he want pity? Surely you couldn’t relate to his courthouse crusades.

“Well, that sounds… scary.” You offered.

“It happens. Not a lot but you can never predict people,” He took another gulp of beer. “What are you doing out here? It’s gonna rain soon.”

“Yeah?” You looked up at the grey clouds. “I never minded the rain much.”

He was quiet as he picked at the label of his bottle. His toe tapped and he pushed his shoulders back.

“Your mother came to see me,” He said gently. “Said something about tossing your stuff out on the lawn.”

“Shit,” You winced. “She shouldn’t have--”

“You haven’t talked to her?”

“And say what, exactly? She made her feelings about me pretty clear.” You played with the case of your phone as you turned it over. “My dad called me but… I don’t care about all that shit.”

“We can go get it. It’s not--”

You laughed and shook your head. “Why? You’re so eager to erase my former life, why would you care?” You threw your hand up and planted your elbow on the table. “It’s just books. A few stuffed animals. I never really could afford much of value. The poor pauper girl.”

“I never--”

You stood and slid your phone into your pocket. You still wore the plain black shirt and matching pants from work. Your fly was half undone to relieved the pressure and your shirt had caught in your waistband. You pulled the hem down and pushed in your chair.

“I’m hungry. I’m going to get changed and make something to eat.” You said.

You left him there and went inside. After slipping into some leggings and a loose tee, you swept into the kitchen and surveyed your options. Some linguine with chicken and spinach. That didn’t sound too bad.

You pulled out a chicken breast and the cutting board. You put the water on boil and heated the frying pan. You started to chop up the chicken into chunks as you heard the back door. Andy appeared and set his bottle down across from you as he stood on the other side of the island. It gave a hollow clink; empty, already.

“So, what are you making?” He leaned on the marble.

“Pasta,” You answered curtly. “You have any hot peppers? Hot sauce?” You opened the fridge. “I wouldn’t mind something spicy.”

“Check the door,” He said. “You must be past the nausea. You know, I always heard the cravings were the worst part. I never really considered pickles anything to drool over but---”

“Stop, please,” You interjected as you turned back with a jar of banana peppers. You could dice them up and mix them into the sauce. “It’s miserable. All of it.”

He sighed and stood straight. He rounded the counter and opened the cupboard. He added oil to the pan and it crackled. He put it back and turned to grab the spinach and rinsed it in the colander. He set it on the counter and turned back to watch you slice the chicken.

“You gonna keep this up?” He asked.

“What?” You set the knife down and dumped the chicken into the pan and washed your hands..

“You gotta try to meet me halfway,” He turned.

“Meet you halfway? Andy, christ,” You spat as you stirred the chicken and seared it. “How much more can I give you?”

“Bit of courtesy, maybe,” He said. “I’m trying here but you won’t even--”

“There you go again, speaking to me like a child. I am not a child. Let’s start there,” You pointed at him with the spatula. “You should know that.”

He considered you, his blue eyes drifted then returned to you. He gave a small smile. “I definitely know you’re not a child.”

“I’m serious.”

He nodded and exhaled. “Alright, I’ll try to ease off.”

You squinted at him. “I really wanna believe you will.”

He scoffed and brushed past you. He went to the fridge and grabbed another beer. He flipped the cap off and leaned against the door.

“I’m a lawyer. I can’t help it.” He shrugged. “But for the sake… of the baby, I’ll take my foot off the pedal. A little.”

“Cool,” You set the spatula down. “So you won’t mind if I go out tomorrow night. My friend Felicia wants to have dinner.”

“Dinner?” He repeated. You raised a brow. “Yeah, fine. That sounds like fun.”

“Great,” You smiled and grabbed the linguine noodles. “And you know, you’ll get a night to yourself. Win-win.”

🌙

You texted Felicia after dinner and for the first time in a while, you felt excited about something. So excited you found it hard to settle down. A bigger problem because you had an opening shift the next morning and you were already constantly exhausted.

You laid in bed and tossed and turned. You stared at the ceiling, then rolled over and stared at the window, then tried laying on your stomach until your leg fell asleep. It was at least an hour of endless turmoil, trying to force yourself to doze, before you just resigned to blinking into the dark.

You listened to the gentle spatter of rain. As always, Andy was right. It was really annoying. You sighed and peeked out the window as the rivulets streamed down the glass. The moonlight shone through the droplets in silver orbs. You turned onto your side and counted them, hoping it would coax you to sleep.

Then you heard it. At first, you were certain it was nothing. The wind, maybe. But it continued, steady, slowly mounting. The heavy breaths coated with sultry groans. You froze and craned your head to look over your shoulder as you listened. You’d left your bathroom door open without thinking and could hear a little too much through the one at the other end.

You dropped your head back to the pillow as the voice continued; deep and drawn out. It wasn’t hard to guess what was going on; what the only other person in the house was doing. Andy was only human after all. Well, you’d fucked him almost on sight. You were no saint. Yet it felt so wrong, hearing him like that. Worse that as you closed your eyes, you could only imagine him in the other room with his hand…

You pulled the duvet over your ear and pressed your head to the pillow. You felt a tickle between your thighs and squeezed them together. Ignore it, just listen to the rain. But his voice only got louder and louder until it finally peaked in a sharp grunt. Your lips parted and you shuddered. He was done, thank god.

It was silent for a few minutes, all but the gentle patter of rain. Then the bed groaned through the wall and soft footsteps. You were tense as you listened, moreso as you heard him near the other side of the bathroom door. 

Shit, he had to clean himself up and… 

The door opened and you heard his feet on the tile. He let out a growled and cranked the sink on. Your door was still wide open. It sounded as if he was right beside you as the water flowed and his breathing evened out. He turned off the faucet but lingered in the bathroom.

Then he stood in the door to your room. You could feel him there, looking at you. You were thankful your back was to him. Slowly, he crept closer and you felt him looming over you, just at the side of your bed. Your nerves were on fire, every hair on your body was on end.

The blanket moved just a little as he tugged at it. You made yourself stay still as he paused, waiting for you to react. He let out a long breath and yanked harder to dislodge the duvet from under you. You squeezed your eyes shut, terrified. You should say something, do something, tell him to fuck off!

He bared your leg and the cool air raised goosebumps along your skin. Your shorts offered little coverage and had ridden up your ass. He let the blanket rest on the other side of your leg and his fingertips grazed your calf and thigh. He touched your ass and pressed more firmly against it.

Then suddenly he recoiled. You heard him swallow and he pulled the blanket back over you. He turned and retreated into the bathroom, your door clicking closed behind him, the second which led into his own room. The silence was pierced by his muffled voice.

“Shit.”

[radio-charlie]

A nice value for money buffet is truly the most magical place in the world. u mean for 8.50 dollars i can have all of these things? i can have 5, maybe even 6 pieces of fried chicken? heaps of yams, coleslaw, bbq brisket, grilled fish fillets? i can even go make myself a crazy salad thats 60% pickled banana peppers. then i can just sit there for 2 hours and savor it all slowly and nobody is gonna bother me. i would love to go to a buffet right now. i’m just so goddamn hungry all the time

[nikkinightmare]

1. seaweed

2. anything fried/lots of oil

3. about 12 years

4. pro recovery just not for myself rn

5. not pro ana bc this illness is insanely awful and id never want someone else to be subjected to it

6. not in recovery

7. probably 4-5 days

8. good question I actually don’t know

9. sophomore year I attempted purging and threw up all over the bathroom floor at school and someone heard/saw 😭

10. average calories rn are 500 and under

11. mostly clean food I was vegetarian for like 5 ish years and transitioned to vegan, but when the pandemic started it was harder to get clean foods bc i was homeless for a little over a year so I went back to eating chicken, but I don’t eat pork or red meat

12. someone saying they lost weight in front me bc then i’m like bet i’m gonna lose more than you, or maybe seeing old pics of myself bc I was really thin

13. idk if smoothies count as safe foods? but legit ant fruit, I love green beans, cucumbers, corn, banana peppers, pickles, and my fav candy are twizzlers but I don’t eat candy often

14. really “heavy” meals like spaghetti or burgers (even tho they’re so good) I just feel like the more dense the food is the worse i feel idk if that makes sense

15. how weak I get, I could barely walk to the bathroom last night, or how my hair got so much thinner. Also that i’ll never truly be able to see how I look, especially bc you look different in all mirrors and phone cameras so it’s like without being on the outside looking at me I might never see how thin I am

16. I think fasting can be okay, I think I wanna keep with the 48 fast, feed days, 48 fast and continue bc it seems the easiest rn but i’d like to go longer I wanna look into liquid fast for a week. take ur vitamins, meds, and stay hydrated (and if ur feeling too faint have a small snack) 💙💙

17. any fat phobia or meanspo using fat bodies. it’s super disrespectful and eating disorders come in all forms, plus if someone wants to exist in their body no matter how big it is I support them 100% and would never want them to feel bad about the way they look, another reason I don’t really bring up my weight or ed in front of other ppl. I’ve had a therapist say my ed didn’t count bc I wasnt emaciated in the hospital 🤨 as if I haven’t had this for over a decade and got super close, all of that ties back to fat phobia and thinking bc you aren’t super skinny you can’t possibly have an ed

TW ED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

🌈ED Ask Game🌈

I wanted to make an ed ask game because

I'm bored

I couldn't find any

So, without further ado, here are the asks:

One of your safe foods?

One of your fear foods?

How long have you had an ED?

Pro-recovery?

Thoughts on pro-ana?

Are you in recovery?

Longest fast?

Fav ED song

Most embarrassing ED moment?

Average calories a day?

Usually junk food or clean food?

Biggest triggers?

Safe foods?

Fear foods?

Most hated side effects of your ED

Thoughts on fasting?

ED community pet peeve

DM if you have any other questions I didn't mention! Also shoutout to @angelwaist for some of the questions! They were a big help!

[whoinwhoville]

13 chapters. Complete. Will post frequently. Doctor Who (2005) Teen Tenth Doctor/Rose Tyler Tenth Doctor, Rose Tyler, Jack Harkness, Martha Jones, Donna Noble, Harold Saxon, and many more Alternate Universe - Royalty, Romance, Fluff, Mutual Pining, Light Angst, Happy Ending, Wedding, Soulmates, Soulmarks, Modern Setting

WARNING: If you are sympathetic to Reinette, you most likely won’t like this story.

Rose Tyler has loved him, well, forever, and now she has the King’s soulmark. He doesn’t know, and a royal wedding is imminent – and Rose is not the bride.

John bent over and grabbed his knees, breathing harder than he had in ages. The run had done him good physically, but emotionally, he was still a mess.

"I need to eat. Something normal before all of that ridiculous wedding food. Who does she think she is? This isn't the court of Louis XV. She wanted a whole roast boar with an apple in its mouth, put my foot down on that. And no turtle soup either. At least I got to pick the nibbles. And Bananas Foster made-to-order. And no pears."

Jack sighed as his friend muttered under his breath about ridiculous food and this stupid arranged marriage.

"Good morning, Highness. How may I serve you?"

King John scrunched up his face. "Oh, don't do that. I’m not up to dealing with the Your Majesty, Your Highness, blah blah blah this early. Gonna have to be on my best behaviour enough as it is. Makes me cranky.” He leaned on the counter. “Ursula, gimme an omelette with green peppers and grilled onions and spicy pepper pickle, all sautéed in garlic butter. And a big stack of toast with raspberry jam and a pineapple banana smoothie."

The little lever clicked as John turned on the kettle to make himself a cup of tea, and then he slumped into a chair at a rustic-looking table for four.

“Unless Queenie-to-Be is a vampire, I think you should reconsider your breakfast choice. Even the guests in the last row will smell your breath." Jack laughed.

"Oh. Right." John tugged on his ear. "Ursula," he called. Make that a cheese omelette -- cheddar."

“Very good.” The chef nodded, and then began her work.

Jack turned a chair backwards and straddled it. "It's seven-thirty. Not too many hours now."

"Don't remind me."

A voice echoed from the corridor leading to the kitchen. "...and so then he says to me, 'No pear tartlets! If there are any pears anywhere, the wedding is off!' And all I can think is how fast I can get on Amazon and order a recipe book filled with stuff made with pears and have it sent to that woman via Prime same-day."

"Donna," he bellowed, and then heard more of Donna’s laughter mingled with another cheerful, feminine voice.

"Oh! I didn't know you were in here,” Donna said, rounding the corner. “Should we come back?”

“Naw. Oh hello, who's this?" he asked, smiling as he stepped away from the rectangular kitchen table.

Rose was frozen like a statue, open-mouthed, staring at him.

Continue on AO3

[mahoubenkyou]

11 questions tag!

Thank you for tagging me, @kyohocrepe !! 

Rules: always post the rules, answer the 11 questions, then make up 11 more and tag 11 people

1. Coke or Pepsi?

Pepsi and you all can fight me over it!!!

2. What book are you reading currently?

None at the moment, but I’ve been meaning to start Let’s Pretend This Never Happened by Jenny Lawson

3. What is the closest thing to real magic?

I’m legitimately not sure.  I think humans have the ability to make things happen just by putting energy into it, which feels very much like magic to me.

4. Most boring fictional character to converse with?

Since I’m watching it at the moment I’m gonna say I would NOT want to try and hold a conversation with Judai from YGO GX.  Like, all he likes is card games.  I don’t like Yu Gi Oh THAT much.

5. Describe your best sandwich.

ALL THE VINEGAR.  Salami, a LOT pickles, banana peppers, cheese, mustard, and then salt n vinegar potato chips for texture (my bf hates that I put potato chips on sandwiches but its GOOD)

6. What country would you like to visit?

Japan, surprising to absolutely no one.  But I’d also love to go to Germany as well :)

7. Any allergies?

Not specifically, but I get vague “allergies” (stuffy nose ect) every time the season changes

8. First concert you attended (if any)?

I was like, 10 or 11 and my dad and I went to see The Unlovables at some bar in Minneapolis but it was obviously a 21+ show so my dad snuck me in through the back and we sat on the floor in a corner so nobody would notice my Clearly Not Even Close To 21 ass

9. Hogwarts house?

10. Favourite subject to study?

Languages in general are really fun for me!  But of course, Japanese is my fav

11. Any animals?

I used to have a hedgehog, but she lives with my friend now because my apartment is too small for pets :( honestly, it really bums me out.  I’m not uncomfortable living in a small space but I want to move somewhere larger so I can have a cat.

Here are my questions for my taggees!

1. Are you more logic-driven or emotion-driven?

2. If you could have any pet (real or fantastic), what would it be and what would you name it?

3. Who’s your favorite Sanrio character?

4. What’s your idea of “treating yourself”?

5. Favorite word in any language?

6. Favorite idiom/saying in any language?

7. Right at this moment, are you craving anything?

8. Best brand of frozen pizza?

9. Do you have a morning ritual, and if so what is it?

10. Are you most productive in the morning, midday or at night?

Here are my tags!!  No pressure to actually do this ofc :) @learning-ganbatte @balkanstudyblr @miro-yo @sittinginabagelshop @mochiilang @tea-coffee-languages @lonelyhanami @magicalstudygirl @nicolepracticesjapanese @pastel-lining-japanese @alckstudies

[moonstew16-blog]

Crab Salad

A mixture of fresh and imitation crab, veggies and a homemade ranch style dressing, perfect for a sandwich, snacking or stuffed into a tomato or avocado half.

Crab Salad

This salad has been a favorite for me many years, and you may remember something similar called the Seafood Sensation Salad from Subway, where you could get it on a sub or in a salad. I used to get them for lunch in my corporate working days, loaded up with vegetables. While mostly removed from their menu, I think you can still find it at Subway in some markets, and you will probably find some version at your local grocery store deli.

Now... I realize that some of y'all are gonna get mad at me, because while ingredients vary, this salad has always been made with imitation crab or in combination with imitation lobster. Relax a bit.

Imitation crab and lobster are generally made up of a mix of Alaskan Pollock, King Crab meat and other seafood, and works great for salads like this. In fact, this salad doesn't taste quite right without it. For this one, I decided to attempt to redeem myself by using a mix of both fresh and imitation crab.

You'll see some copycat recipes for the Seafood Sensation Salad that include shrimp, something I don't actually recall being in the original. No doubt it is a great addition, so if you have some of those tiny cooked salad shrimp, toss in a handful!

This salad mix is great served with crackers as a snack or appetizer, stuffed in po'boy or hoagie bread, spooned over a bed of shredded mixed lettuce and topped with all those good veggies like I used to get it - thinly sliced red onions, bell peppers, tomatoes, black olives, pickles, cucumbers, banana peppers or extra jalapenos - stuffed into a tomato or avocado half, or tossed with cooked pasta for a pasta salad.

Here's how to make it.

In the bottom of a large serving bowl or lidded storage bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients; set aside. I'm using a homemade ranch style dressing, but substitute your favorite bottled dressing if you'd rather. Add the salad veggies - green onion, red bell pepper (jarred pimentos work here too), celery and pickled jalapeno.

Add seafood and gently fold in; taste and adjust seasonings adding salt and pepper, only as needed.

Refrigerate for at least an hour to allow flavors to meld. Serve atop shredded lettuce, on split top hoagie rolls, with crackers, or stuffed into an avocado or fresh tomato. You can also toss in some cooked pasta for a pasta salad!

For more of my favorite salad recipes, check out the collection on my Pinterest page!

If you make this or any of my recipes, I'd love to see your results! Just snap a photo and hashtag it #DeepSouthDish on social media or tag me @deepsouthdish on Instagram!

Yum

Recipe: Crab Salad

©From the Kitchen of Deep South Dish Prep time: 15 min Inactive time: 1 hour

Total time: 1 hour 15 min

Yield: About 3-1/2 cups

Ingredients

For the Dressing:

1 cup real mayonnaise

1/2 cup buttermilk, sour cream or Greek yogurt

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar

1 teaspoon Creole mustard

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon onion powder

1/4 teaspoon dill weed

1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped

1/2 teaspoon Cajun or Creole seasoning

1/2 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning

For the Salad:

2 green onions, sliced

1/4 cup chopped sweet red bell pepper

1/4 cup chopped celery

1 tablespoon chopped pickled jalapeno

1 cup fresh crabmeat

1 (8 ounce) package imitation crab

Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper, only as needed, to taste

Instructions

In the bottom of a large serving bowl or lidded storage bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients; set aside. Add the salad veggies - green onion, bell pepper, celery and jalapeno.

Add seafood and gently fold in; taste and adjust seasonings adding salt and pepper, only as needed. Refrigerate for at least an hour to allow flavors to meld. Serve atop shredded lettuce, on split top hoagie rolls, with crackers, or stuffed into an avocado or fresh tomato.

Cook's Notes: May substitute all crab, half imitation lobster and/or imitation crab, or all imitation crab or lobster. Add some cooked small salad shrimp if you like. May also substitute apple cider vinegar for the fresh lemon. Add in some cooked pasta for a great pasta salad.

Source: http://deepsouthdish.com

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Source: http://www.deepsouthdish.com/2018/09/crab-salad.html

[lovelyirony]

Tony wasn’t part of the reconnaissance mission to get Barnes back. Steve said he didn’t want to add more work onto a growing list Tony had.

But Steve was also a shit liar, so there was that.

Tony wants to know why he’s not involved; he’s the one who has the tech, has the means to get to wherever the hell Barnes has decided to go in Europe. (And really, it’s Europe. If you want to go unnoticed, there are about seven cities you can go to without them looking at you oddly. Maybe even six depending on the day.)

Steve is hiding something from Tony, and he has the sneaking suspicion it has to do with exactly what Barnes has done. So with a sigh and a look upwards, Tony works with Jarvis to start research.

“Are you sure we shouldn’t consult at least Agent Romanov?” Jarvis asks.

“She’s the one who’s remaining tight-lipped about it and helping Steve get all his stamps on the passport,” Tony says. “Forgive me if I’m not a bit jealous, J. I’m not on that vacation.”

“Very well, Sir. Should I delve into the files?”

When all of that information landed on the internet, Tony knew people were fucked. So he got the best people possible, and they contained it. A lot of it was information Tony would rather not see. Hydra techniques, their little get-togethers to be assholes.

But...he needed to see this. Why he wasn’t involved, why Steve had those looks he gave Natasha, why she told Tony to stay out of it. People didn’t tell you to stay out of it unless they wanted to make sure that you never reacted to what they were doing.

He finds out at lunchtime, which is not a very good time to find out such things. The restaurant wasn’t crowded, but more people than should’ve been there for a Thursday lunch. He had ordered a sandwich with a nice chipotle aioli, and that was pretty good. He’d had it once or twice, although he can’t remember the last time he’d had it. Maybe a year ago.

But hey. That didn’t particularly matter. Tony’s not very good with dates. Only remembers four: Happy’s birthday, Rhodey’s, Pepper’s, and his parents’ deaths. December 16th. He had almost gone to that, hoping to impress his father with initiative and networking. But then he remembered that no matter what he did, his father fucking hated him, so he stayed home and worked on coding Jarvis.

Not even the police had come to his house. No one like SHIELD. It had been flashing cameras and pretty newswomen saying they were sorry for his loss in that annoying news voice and he had to be confused.

He remembers the newswoman’s name who told him. Terri Lewis. She had froze, not smiling in that frozen way like most news people do.

“Tony...your parents. They’re dead.”

Well, that had been the icing on the fucking cake. Car accident. Tony can’t say he’s surprised--Howard wasn’t exactly known for his collection of sobriety chips. Mom never got her license, and hated driving in cars anyway. The car is wrecked, slammed into a tree.

Well. He’s in the restaurant, still eating the sandwich because apparently he doesn’t know how to act, and he finds out that that unfortunate accident?

Hydra must recruit drama students because that stage was perfectly set. And they used their star Winter Soldier--James Buchanan Barnes--to do it.

He doesn’t tell anyone about it. Has a long drink of scotch, and listens to Black Sabbath until he can’t hear lyrics, until he feels an iota of calm. He doesn’t blame Barnes, doesn’t really want to exact his pound of flesh or whatever. Or would it be metal? Well, that joke probably wouldn’t land, scrap that.

Tony falls asleep at some point. Wakes up to low voices arguing. He stays on the couch, slowly pulling the blanket over himself. Steve’s back, probably at Nat and Sam’s insistence.

“I saw him, Sam. I know we can get him.”

“I know you need a break,” Sam says. “You’re running yourself ragged, and I’m not going to pretend like you’re fine, Steve. We all know you’re not.”

“A judge and jury, hmm?” Steve retorts. He’s never liked discussing his mental health, Tony knows that. They’re two peas in that pod that reads “Fine” in bold, size 24, Comic Sans font. It’s not serious, but they’re pretending like it is.

Steve still wants to go. Tony doesn’t let him. Steve has dark circles, a wild look about him that has a tendency to never give up. Tony has learned over the years that sometimes, giving up is not that bad. It will not be the end of the world, and you will be okay.

“You’re not a part of this,” Steve hisses. “You don’t even know what’s going on.”

“Don’t give me that bullshit,” Tony says. “I know you, Steve. I know that you’re running yourself ragged because Bucky is the only one who probably knows what it’s like to be warped into future, to be like you, and no one else will catch up. You need to stop. You need to relax.”

“You don’t know anything about him,” Steve says. “Quit acting like you know everything, like you know me.” And there is Steve’s problem, because people do know exactly what he’s like. He’s stubborn, he’s cold, and if he thinks you’re not saying the right thing? He doesn’t listen. Which is both admirable and frustrating. But Tony is tired people thinking that he doesn’t know things, like he doesn’t know them. He knows what people are like, he could probably have a fucking major in behavior analysis by the time he was thirteen.

So this? Icing on the fucking shit cake he’s baked over the past couple weeks.

“Let me tell you what I know,” Tony says, voice dangerously calm, “you’ve been backpacking on Europe, trying to find someone else instead of what normal people do and find themselves. In this process, you’ve kept me out of the loop, which usually wouldn’t be a bad thing, but you can’t lie at all. So then, you’ve gotten me curious. What the fuck are you up to? Why was I not invited when I so clearly could’ve probably found your friend in a month, tops?”

Steve rolls his eyes. “Everything about you again, Stark?”

“In this case, yes,” Tony says. “Because you knew, you son of a bitch. You fucking knew about what he did, and you just....what? Were you gonna mention it when things got all better? Or not at all?”

Steve shuts up. Eyes are wide, because Tony shouldn’t know about that, should he?

“If you wanna keep a secret, Steve, you have to keep it on paper,” Tony says. “Or you tell me and you don’t piss me off.”

They don’t talk for a month. Steve doesn’t set foot in the tower, and Tony doesn’t blame him. Tony attends meetings, goes about as business.

He gets a text from Natasha. when r u and steve making up. i’m tired of angst

when were you going to tell me about the little incident?

not my place 2 say

oh because you always mind your business, romanov.

And then they don’t speak.

It really should terrify him, actually. but it doesn’t.

The Winter Soldier is in his kitchen, eating a banana, and blocking access to tea.

“Can you move? I need mint tea,” Tony says. “Also, Steve isn’t here.”

He relaxes a bit, which is odd. Also relatable on some level.

“I-I’m not here for Rogers,” Barnes says. “I’m here for an apology to be made. By me.” Tony waits. “I...remember it. Killing your parents. And I’m so fucking sorry.”

Tony doesn’t really know what to say. People don’t really apologize to him for big things, and Tony...his emotional skills are practically nonexistent.

“Do you wanna get a burger?” he blurts out. “I really want a burger with at least four pickle slices on it.”

“What?” Barnes asks. “But--”

“Yeah, I’m not good at emotions, and I really am hungry for a burger.”

They don’t say things for a while. Barnes just says to call him James, and also doesn’t like onions on burgers. Travesty, that. Tony orders the worst burger ever, and decides that if he dies of a heart attack, it probably won’t even matter. Not the worst thing to die of.

Could be a car accident.

They talk after Tony pays the bill.

“So, I know that you did that. And I know Steve would say that it wasn’t you, but I get the sneaking suspicion that you’re not Steve’s imagination.”

“You’re right,” James says. His voice is gravel. He’s tense, looking all around them. “I...I remember more than just being a puppet. I remember having thoughts. Winter Soldier is complex. Almost another person.”

“Cool,” Tony says. “I’m sorry, but I literally am not equipped to deal with this.”

“S’okay. I don’t even know if I can deal with it.”

Somehow, James ends up staying. Tony doesn’t know how, but he’s sleeping on the couch. He puts his backpack on a hook like he’s back from school or whatever, which is cheesy, but whatever.

Tony cooks. He does this more often than people think, because he knows how to do things, he just doesn’t make a big deal out of it. He thinks he cooked for the whole team once, and that was an ordeal he’d literally never do again.

So yeah. Makes eggs, sunny side-up. Drizzles a bit of seasoning over them, puts them on toast, and waits.

As it turns out, James regularly wakes up early, at like three a.m., so Tony could’ve made them two hours ago and been fine.

“So, what now?” James asks.

“Now, we start doing things,” Tony says. “And I’m not sure what things, but probably things that are good for your mental health and shit.”

“Sounds responsible.”

“God, I know.”

[coffeebasedrunner-blog]

Edmonton Marathon 2017 Training: Week 9/16 Recap

Just typing out “Week 9” makes me realize that my marathon is in just two months, and that’s an insane thought. It feels like the October day that I registered for the Edmonton Marathon was just last week, yet here we are, running my first really long run of this training program.

I am using the free sub-3:45 training plan provided by RunKeeper, just like last summer, except I’m being a lot more diligent about sticking to my training this time around - so sub-3:45 should be totally doable.

My recap for the week is just below the break!

June 21: Mile Repeats (5x1)

Ugh. Mile repeats. *Shudder*. Not a fan of them at all, but despite the odd stomach ache I had and how weirdly cold it was outside for June in Edmonton, I managed to average around 4:51 min/km for each of the mile repeats. I warmed up with a 2 mile jog and cooled down with a 1 mile… trot, if we’re being honest.

Post-workout breakfast was eggs, whole grain toast with Romanian zacuscă, bacon, kiwi fruit, and a handful of baby carrots and snap peas. Lunch, later in the day, was mushroom and black soybean bowtie pasta salad, grilled chicken breast, and roasted eggplant and zucchini (first image from the right). Finally, dinner was a leftover wrap - whole wheat tortilla filled with a bunch of leftover food I had in the fridge. Classy, I know.

June 22: 6 mi tempo (total 9 mi)

2 mi slow to warm up, 6 mi at a tempo pace averaging around 5:11 min/km, and 1 mi slow to cool down - adding up to 9 mi (14.5 km). Pretty comfortable run, explored deeper into the suburbs of Edmonton and I can confirm that there is in fact no such thing as summer here in Alberta - it is simply construction season.

Post-workout breakfast was oatmeal with peanut butter, plain skyr, ground chia with probiotics, vanilla whey protein, and frozen berries - accompanied, of course, by a cup of coffee mixed with some hot chocolate (because I earned it). Lunch was the same as yesterday (s/o to meal prep). For dinner, I decided to go classic: black forest ham and cheddar sandwich on whole grain bread with avocado, spinach, and some mustard. CAN’T GO WRONG.

June 23: Crosstraining (Strength Conditioning)

Just over an hour of weight training, followed by a quick 10 minute interval session on the elliptical. And let me tell you something: I have never before so graciously LOVED foam rolling. I stumbled upon this newfound passion by forgetting to do it. Ah, my poor quads - it was nice knowing you. Always always foam roll people. Holy cow.

I have a pretty specific strength training routine I follow that helps fine-tune my running technique, which I posted recently! It’s a real doozy, let me tell you.

Post-workout breakfast was the same as yesterday, as was lunch. And… so was dinner actually. What can I say, creature of habit. Today was a really bad day for snacking though.

June 24: 6 mi prep run + core training

Basically, this is going to set me up for tomorrow’s scary af 18 mi (28.98 km) run. This run, averaged at a pace of 5:15 min/km, builds up fatigue that will help simulate how I’ll feel during the race for my long run tomorrow. I also followed this up with some core training because posture is usually the first to go once you get into the 20 km zone.

Breakfast was three mini whole wheat crêpes with plain skyr, ground chia with probiotics, frozen berries, and peanut butter, as well as my trusty coffee (+ some hot chocolate). Lunch was my pasta/chicken/veggie meal prep combo from the days before. Dinner was - YOU GUESSED IT - the classic ham and cheese. Exciting stuff. Cannot wait to grocery shop friends.

June 25: 18 mi long run

Ah, yes, the long awaited 29 km run. Started my morning with the pre-workout snack pictured below - my classic and go-to half sweet bagel (Silver Hills Rappleberry Bagel has been a recent fave, but you can’t go wrong with cinnamon raisin) with cookie butter and strawberry jam, a banana, and a couple AWAKE dark chocolate bites (last image from the right). I also snacked a bit while preparing my running pack (2 L water, 9 oz electrolyte solution, and a package of strawberry Clif Shot BLOKS).

Not gonna lie, I was nervous going into this run. Part of me didn’t really feel prepared, and I was kinda sore from strength training this week. But as soon as my legs started moving… it just felt so natural. By the time I had hit the 9 km mark, I found a comfortable pace and felt like I could run for ages. It’s been a while since I’ve felt so happy and comfortable running. I finished up my 18 mi in just over 2 and a half hours, with an average pace of 5:19 min/km. Considering that this should be my pace for most of my marathon and the pace of a 3:44:30 marathon, I’m pretty happy! My route was a 10.5 km loop repeated twice, then an 8 km loop to finish.

Post-workout breakfast was 3 mini whole-wheat crêpes with plain skyr, ground chia with probiotics, frozen berries, and peanut butter, as well as a black coffee (#bestway) with a biscotti. Lunch was my classic sandwich (with some bread & butter pickles this time because I am #TeamPickles). Dinner was a time for me to get creative because I’m out of meal prep, so it was a huge plate of random stuff: leftover bacon, shredded mozzarella, a roasted pepper, some edamame, sourdough rye crackers, and one lone Babybel that was chilling in the back of my fridge. Hey, not every meal is gonna be pretty.

Reflection

My toughest training week so far, but I feel like I’m coming out of it a lot stronger and I’m feeling so much more confident for this marathon than I did when I woke up this morning. That being said, I’m beyond excited to take my mileage down a notch next week. My legs are in a world of pain. Until next week!

Question: are you #TeamPickles? If not, what’s one widely-disputed food that you do like. Message me your answer, and let me know what you thought of the recap!

[12setsofchopsticks]

What's For Dinner Tonight?

What do I eat here? A lot of different things! One question I get asked by literally all of my classes is “what is your favorite Japanese food?”

Okay, maybe it’s more like “Japanese food…you like??”

But yes, I tend to say the easy “oh, yes I like Japanese food very much! My favorite foods to eat are sushi and ramen!” which is 100% true, but I’ve found there is so much more to Japanese cuisine than just ramen and sushi! I think I can definitely say that my international food palette has expanded. I have tried so many new and interesting foods, some have been good, others…not so much (please see the liver incident).

Everyone knows about sushi and ramen, but let me tell you about some of the “lesser known” foods I enjoy that are common here:

JAPANESE CURRY

Oh yes. This is one food in particular that I have really come to love.

WHO KNEW that curry, a food we usually think of as being unique to Indian cuisine in America, would be such a culinary staple in Japan? First things first, Japanese curry is distinctly different from it’s Indian cousin. Indian curry tastes like, well, curry. Japanese curry tastes like heaven. I really can’t describe the taste of Japanese curry; it’s just like spicy gravy goodness over rice and some sort of friend meat. I also have no idea what it *really* is, but goddamn do I love it.

ALSO I feel like I must add that my bias is partly due to the fact that I live literally right above a CoCo Curry house so the restraint I need to not eat there every night is EXTREME. At first it was kind of a running joke that I would go to CoCo Curry everyday but now it’s become frighteningly close to reality. OOPS.

OMURICE

Omurice gets its name from the words “omelet” and “rice” and that basically sums it right up; it’s a thin, cooked egg filled with ketchup-fried rice and topped with MORE ketchup. Like I just mentioned, the rice is usually ketchup-flavored (which tastes much better than it sounds) and stir fried with chicken and vegetables, but I have seen variations like beef stroganoff, seafood, and (OMG!!!) curry! I am not sure why Japanese people love ketchup so much.

HISTORICAL NOTE: I find the very idea of omurice to be kind of hilarious, because it was basically what Japanese people thought western food was like. To be fair, it is one of the closest Japanese foods I’ve found to resemble brunch so they weren’t too far off in their assumptions.

YAKISOBA

Yakisoba is what I get when I think I’ve ordered lo mein. It’s basically the same as the westernized Chinese staple, but the flavors are slightly different. This is another festival-favorite and usually a failsafe for me to get at the conbini when I don’t trust any of the other options. It’s usually packed with veggies and a generous helping of pickled ginger (the pink stuff) which I promptly pick out every time.

Fun fact! They also sell yakisoba rolls – meaning sub rolls filled with yakisoba – at the conbini for when you get that ~*special hankering*~ for carbs.

OKONOMIYAKI

The only thing more fun than saying okonomiyaki is eating it. When I first came to Japan and was like “what is this food called okonomonaki” first, they laughed at me cause I said it wrong, then they said it was “japanese pancake” and I guess technically they aren’t wrong, but you won’t find me (or anyone for that matter) eating an okonomiyaki doused in syrup in the morning for breakfast.

Okonomiyaki can contain a number of different ingredients within the batter, but often you will encounter the usual suspects like cabbage, egg, and some sort of protein like bacon, octopus, shrimp, etc. It’s cooked like a pancake and then served with special sauce and mayo on top. There are plenty of dedicated okonomiyaki shops around, but they are also a common food found at street vendors during festivals.

Side note: I have a pair of socks that have okonomiyaki on them and every time I wear them to school, my students go bananas.

TAKOYAKI

Closely related to okonomiyaki is takoyaki. Takoyaki means fried octopus ball so, of course, there usually is octopus somewhere in there. However, I’ve seen vegetarian takoyaki or takoyaki with lil hotdog bits in them. They are made by putting batter in a special takoyaki pan that has round recesses for the balls to form. Every time I see someone making these lil balls delight I’m like “okay there is no way that is going to become round” but somehow every time they come out looking like perfect globes and I don’t understand how they do it.

Every time I get these, I eat them in one bite and every time it is a huge mistake because the inside is always hotter than the molten core of the Earth and I apparently don’t know how to learn from my mistakes. SAD!

ON THE TOPIC OF FOOD:

One thing I really didn’t anticipate when I moved to Tokyo was that I would basically have to learn how to cook all over again.

There are two reasons for this:

The first is because my Japanese supermarkets do not offer the same foods that the American supermarkets I used to frequent did. This seems obvious! Of course a Japanese supermarket is not going to have things like Oreos or Ritz crackers…or one would think. Actually, it’s quite easy to find Oreos and Ritz crackers, but I have an incredibly difficult time finding things like Italian sausage, many types of cheese, and chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (still looking for that one, btw). So basically, while products tend to be easy to find, some of the ingredients that used to be staples in my cooking seemingly don’t exist in this country (it’s hell-ery trying to find celery. Why?). Not to mention that when I do go grocery shopping, all of the labels are in Japanese. Ask me about the time I accidentally got decaf coffee or sun-dried tomatoes instead of roasted red peppers. I’ve since learned hiragana and katakana, but it’s still slow-going in the supermarket and to this day I still have no idea what kind of meat I’ve been buying.

The second reason is because of the restrictions of my kitchen itself. My apartment is small. Really small. “Do I even have a kitchen?” is probably a better question than “how big is your kitchen?” Yes, the sad reality is that I have only one induction-heat burner and NO oven. I do, however, have a rice cooker and a toaster oven. How has this impacted my cooking? Well, obviously I can’t use any recipe that requires baking. I also can’t cook things separately (for example, broccoli sautéing in one pan, pasta boiling in another) without it taking forever and getting cold. I’ve had to get rethink my recipes and have now become a huge fan of one-pot meals, not that I wasn’t before, but now I am an even BIGGER fan that I was. This means doing a lot of things like skipping the step where you boil the pasta and throwing it right in the pot with the sauce (which actually makes it more delicious anyways). Space is, of course, a huge issue as well, so I’ve gotten quite crafty, especially with hooks and shower rings, to effectively utilize all my vertical space for storage.

Also - holy hell, how had I gotten this far in life without a rice cooker? That little machine is like god’s gift to humanity. Literally just push one button and there it is, perfect rice. I’ve recently tried experimenting with making different flavors of rice in it with mixed results. I’m sure I’ll get coconut curry rice down after a few more tries B-)

Full disclosure: I only wrote this blog post because I am SO hungry and still have a half hour until lunch time OMG I’m gonna starve.

Also, I have no idea what's for dinner tonight. Probably CoCo Curry, TBH. LOL.

RELEVANT VOCAB:

まいにちCoCoカレー (mai-ni-chi Co-co Ka-ray) - Everyday Coco Curry

[lovelyirony]

When Bucky first came to the tower, he didn’t really talk with anyone. Short, clipped sentences with Natasha and a few grumbles whenever Sam was making jokes and generally irritating him to get a reaction. Bucky didn’t mind that. Steve was really the only one who could make him talk. Or when he went to therapy. 

This all changed one morning when Tony and Natasha were having an argument. This argument was about pineapple on pizza. Tony was for, because he’s a freak of nature who will eat almost anything besides banana peppers on pizza, and Natasha is against. This surprises Bucky. He remembers...he remembers something. He’ll see how the argument progresses. 

“I cannot believe that a self-proclaimed genius deigns so low as to put pineapple on his pizza,” Natasha says. “You disgust me, Stark.” 

“Uh, clearly, I’m not the only one,” Tony says, taking out his phone. “Pepper agrees with me. She loves pineapple on pizza.” 

“Well she also thinks Canadian bacon isn’t just ham on a pizza,” Natasha refutes. Bucky has never had Canadian bacon, but he has had Tim Horton’s once. (It was in the eighties during a redesign of his uniform--no one wanted the parachute pants, but they were there. Bucky had to wear them during a mission and ended up stealing both coffee and the pants off an employee.) 

“I think you’re wrong,” Tony says. “You willingly put anchovies on your pizza. Tiny little fish that taste gross and you get in those metal tins that have probably been on the shelves since 1983. And you like them.” 

“Pineapple has enzymes that literally eat your mouth,” Natasha says. 

“You should like them then! Your code name is Black Widow, those spiders eat their mates!” His face drops for a second. “Oh my god am I living with a cannibal? Is this why there were no other Avengers candidates?” Bucky cracks a smile. It’s kinda funny. 

“Don’t be an ass, Clint would’ve been the first to go,” Natasha says. 

“So you admit it! You and Clint had a thing going on!” 

“No! You’re trying to get off topic from the abomination that is pineapple on pizza.” 

THAT’S IT!

“Natalia, you’ve put salt and vinegar chips with your ice cream, do not play at being disgusted with pineapple on pizza,” Bucky mutters. This is the first time he’s said a full sentence to anyone that is not Sam or Steve. “Tony, pineapple is okay on pizza. Not the best topping.” 

“Of course it isn’t, pepperoni is much better.” 

This is how Steve and Sam come back from their run only to see Tony screaming as Bucky is yelling that he’s gonna launch him out a window because who puts pickles with hot dogs and eats it????? 

Steve sighs as he sees Tony scream and say that even though he’s terrified, he still maintains that he’s right. Bucky just yells that even a genius can be wrong twice a day. 

“THAT’S NOT THE RIGHT PHRASE!” Tony yells, sliding in the kitchen on his socks. 

“GO CRY ME A WINDOW, TONY.” Steve just looks dead inside. This is worse than when Bucky wanted to try mashed potatoes with jelly. 

“At least he’s speaking full sentences?” Sam suggests. “That’s good.” 

“He’s going to murder someone over an opinion of food,” Steve says flatly. 

“Hi Steve!” Bucky says. “I’ll be right ya, I’m gonna convince your billionaire friend that I’m the right person in this.” 

“YOU’VE WORN ALL BLACK FOR THE PAST SEVENTY YEARS! YOU’RE TOO EMO TO BE RIGHT!” Tony yells, running into the elevator. 

“Jarvis, where are the stairs?” Bucky asks. “I have some business meetings to attend to.” 

“Oh my god,” Steve moans. “We’ve created a monster, Sam.”