TWD: Lemon Poppyseed Muffins

I was tagged by the ever adorable Sarah to do this meme just a bit under a week ago, and thank goodness for that. Because starting last Thursday around 8p, I was down. Down for the count. Laid out by the flu for the first time in probably two decades, which is only impressive when you realize I've only been bopping around for two and a half decades. And let's just say that the last thing I wanted to think about, write about, talk about, or ingest was food. I was so taken aback by this whole being sick thing that I had to call my dad so he could first reassure me (yes, it is the flu, yes, you're supposed to feel like shit with aching joints and dizziness and nausea) and then tell me what to do (drink lots of water. if you can't, just sleep. a lot.). So I spent the next two days sleeping, occasionally drinking water, and feeling entirely repulsed by the idea of food.

Of course, I then spent the next day after that dreaming of all the food I really shouldn't eat, because that dry toast in front of me was probably the only thing my stomach would accept. Darn stomachs, so uncooperative when all you really want is a diner breakfast of eggs, hash browns, and bacon. Mmm, bacon. I took my bacon craving to mean I was beating this whole flu thing. Granted, while the nausea, aches and pains, and dizziness have basically subsided, there's always this reassessment after a meal - a check-in with my stomach to make sure it was agreeable with whatever had ended up in it. So far, so good. I'm waiting for when the weakness ends so that I can go running, because oh whoops, I didn't mention this - Saturday I was supposed to go running with Sarah! With someone! For the first time in months! I was thrilled! Lots of exclamation points! And then the flu. Damn flu.

Lucky you guys. You don't get the flu. You get muffins and a meme. Lucky you.

Meme: Chain of Fours

Four TV shows I watch:
NCIS
Glee
Grey's Anatomy
NCIS: LA (a new addition, because we are besotted with NCIS-anything right now)

Four things I'm passionate about:
running
butter (and sugar) ((and eggs)) (((flour's nice too)))
the environment & environmental policy
horseback riding

Four words/phrases I use a lot:
Like ya do
About that...
Shu-wa (as in "sure" with a really odd pronunciation) ((no idea))
I think I'm going to bake [fill in the blank] today

Four things I've learned in the past:
Everything is better with butter. (not applesauce, butter. not margarine, butter. not earth balance, butter.)
Grades don't matter. (told to me by my dad, a professor, nearly every week growing up. he's so right.)
Sleep is important. Infinitely more important than just about anything else. Yes, I get 8 hours a night.
Don't sweat the small stuff. Heck, don't sweat the big stuff. Just deal with it and move on.

Four places I'd like to go:
Ireland (this is our dream honeymoon destination - hopefully next Christmas?!?!)
Paris (last time I went was in high school, and I definitely didn't take advantage of it)
Switzerland (hopefully sometime before Jenn leaves her postdoc there!)
Japan (J's favorite country, where I'd love to see all of the gorgeous buildings & views)

Four things I did yesterday:
made pancakes
realized there's a reason why J is the resident pancake maker
had Annabelle sleep on my lap for a few hours
had a meeting for a class on a holiday (oh that's right, holiday = buildings closed and buses not running - grad school is overrated)

Four things I'm looking forward to:
The Charlottesville 10 Miler
My best friend's wedding
The day I can start horseback riding again (aka the day I have a salary again - *wah wah*)
Buying a house with J so I can have a kitchen the size of our current apartment

Four things I love about winter:
Snow
Ice skating
The excuse to drink LOTS of hot tea
Winter in NC = being able to run outside the entire time (*love*)

Tag four people to play along:
Kayte
Jacqui
Bridget
Nancy

Last Week: Minty Chocolate Madeleines (which evidently came to be termed "muffeleines")
Next Week: Nutty, Chocolatey, Swirly Sour Cream Bundt Cake