My World Today: Bonjour et le Mandy Patinkin.

There are a few key things in my world I felt you should be aware of as you peruse the internet and this fine piece of it.

I am 33% of way for Dana-Farber!
Absolutely amazing. I don't even start officially training for Boston until Jan 1, but I am 33% of the way towards my goal of raising $10,000 for the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. So cool! Thank you so much to those reading this who have already contributed. It means so much to me and gives me a much needed boost as I embark on winter running (ugh) to know that you're behind me. And that you want your money's worth.

If you want to help me kick off training with a bang, here's the link to donate:  http://www.runDFMC.org/2014/merig


I Have Been Super Sick.
Just a cold, but it's been lingering. Mostly because I refuse to acknowledge it and keep working, socializing and drinking as normal. Except with a lot more soup (more on that later).

There really is nothing worse than that first day of being sick, though. I was so under the weather that I was forced to call into work (which I rarely do) last Tuesday. I went to bed Monday night all like:

By morning I was a full on mess. I called my mom at 6 am as soon as I called into work just so she would know I felt bad. I'm not sure what it is about being sick that makes you regress from an independent, take-charge woman to a six-year old obnoxious version of yourself.

Because of my plague I had to take a full week off from exercise which I never do. Although I feel a little grotesque now, I think it's actually a good thing in the long run. You should take off a week from exercise now and again, and perhaps this is just my body's way of saying, Hey gurl. You want to stay compulsive? Then I will destroy you....er...I. I will destroy myself. Until you stop.

Ultimately, no harm done and because training isn't underway yet, nothing lost in that front either. In the end, I think really I just have to give thanks for Seamless web because I'm not sure how single people got sick and survived before that point.


Homeland is everything.
No spoilers here. Just wanted to say....just....wow....

The Homeland season finale was last Sunday and I really enjoyed it. Others didn't, but I? I thought it was pretty darn good. I'm excited for the direction it's going and can't believe I have to wait so long for it's return. Thank god for Game of Thrones coming back in March or who knows what would become of me.

Relax, Carrie.

Also, can we take a moment and just talk about Mandy freaking Patinkin? Honestly I love him so much and it still astounds me that this:

Is this!!!!!!

Princess Bride is still my all time favorite movie and I am just delighted each time I watch Homeland and think that Inigo Montoya is still being baller after all this year.

Mandy Patinkin has had such an awesome career on TV, on Broadway...he's just great! Claire Danes definitely said it best when she articulately stated:

I am attempting to learn French.
You may or may not know that April is not just about the Boston Marathon for me. No, the month gets even more exciting as I am leaving the day after the race for a week trip to Paris (with day trips to Brussels and Bruges mixed in!) with my long-time friend Andrea. Although I've traveled extensively, I've never actually been to Paris and I am basically giddy already despite it being four months -- and a full marathon training season -- away.

It's an ambitious April to say the least.

In order to maximize my experience, I've decided to learn some basic French. It's really hard and slow going because I keep mixing up words with Spanish (of which I have just peripheral knowledge). I also have a quite horrific accent, only made more delightful with the lovely nasal sound I am rocking at the moment.

The phrases I know and plan on using so far, for those of your Francophiles, are as follows:

Bonjour!
Oui, merci beaucoup.
J'ai un chat orange.
Chats oranges sont belles.
L'homme est riche.

Translate that and enjoy.

Soup may be my saving grace.
Due to my meager kitchen and single lifestyles, I've come to rely on soups more and more, particularly in the winter (and with this pesky cold!)

I thought I'd share with you a few of my favorite recipes that are both easy, simple, and pretty darn cheap that have been keeping me through. I made the top one last night (with chipotle peppers added in for a bit more heat) and have made the top three of them. The bottom two are on my list for upcoming weeks.

• http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/black-bean-soup-chorizo-50400000131740/
• http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/three-bean-vegetarian-chili-10000001949760/
• http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/turkey-bean-chili-10000002010993/
• http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Curried-Lentil-and-Spinach-Soup-107690
• http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/lentil-barley-soup

Easy, quick, freezable, and minimal dishes. That's my kind of cooking. Enjoy!

And that's my world. What's goin' on with you?!