#60: Eat a wild animal (like a moose or something)

An elk is definitely 'like a moose or something.'

elk

moose

See?  The difference is mostly in the antlers, and you don't eat that part.

So.  Alicia is my Friend Who Is Always Doing Fun Things, Like Phoning Me As I'm Chopping Potatoes To See If I Want To Go Help Spend Her Gift Card At A Super-Fancy French Restaurant Because Her Date Got Held Up At The Border And She Has A Reservation.  And when someone calls to see if you want to go help spend a gift card, you put your potatoes in the fridge for tomorrow and you go.

Grilled elk fillets with celeriac croquette, assorted beans and beanish things, and kale, all smothered in what was basically a super-fancy bbq sauce.  I mean that in the most complimentary, least Kmart-ish way possible.  The elk, and I get that it's probably not like this outside of fancy French restaurants, was ridiculous tender.

Also, unrelatedly, a chocolate-vanilla-raspberry torte with dulce du leche and mint cream.

I'm just saying.

#32: Go scuba diving/snorkeling.

On our port day in Haiti, Joel and I signed up for a snorkeling adventure.

The boat that came to pick us up was full of young dudes and loud music, but our little group was mostly families and pregnant me.  They seemed disappointed that we weren't more excited about the free rum punch on board, and we seemed confused by their disappointment.

But the water looked like this:

Only with more fishes.  And coral.  And urchins.  But I didn't have my camera then because I was both underwater and BREATHING and trying not to freak out in the way that the body does when it realizes that it is underwater and breathing.

Caribbean waters, there is nothing quite like you for swimability.  I will snorkle in your face any time you like.

#61: Make 1000 pretty things.

Smock hanger

Button heart (with Eleanor)

Gingerbread house

Geneva's stocking

Popsicle-stick snowflakes

23. Geneva Wren

22. Pies for Pi Day.

21. Cousin board.

20. Fabric-covered toy bin.

19. Red and white pillow.

18. Fastenings board (velcro, laces, zipper).

17. Susan.

16. Eleanor's stocking.

15. Candy cane wreath.

14. Icicles out of a coke bottle.

13. Strawberry-chocolate macarons

12. Easter cookies

11. Eleanor

10. Blackberry-custard pie.

9. Body pillow cover (which you cannot, apparently, buy for love or money).

8. Lariat necklace.

Also to be worn comme ça.

7. Sack dress.

6. Jaunty yellow maternity skirt.

5. Lemon meringue pies.  Meringue is straight-up the prettiest thing you can eat.

4. Shark costume.  Not so much 'pretty' as 'well-executed and shark-like' but I will count it.

3. Disaster-cakes.

2. Poofballs for boo's wedding (weddings are rife with opportunities for pretty things)

1. Cupcakes for boo's wedding.

#69: Try tapas.

Joel was convinced that tapas was just sandwiches, so I had to play my birthday card to get him to take me.  We went to The Mint in Victoria, which was dark and underground and variously ethnic.

We had the samosas, which were excellent, but I think I prefer my samosas to be crusty and greasy and from a paper bag.

We also had choyela, which was a beef tenderloin spiced with ginger and lime and chilis and served chilled.  It was the flavoringest thing I have ever eaten, and I would gladly eat it a thousand times more.

And then we split a bowl of spicy noodle soup with peanuts and caramelized onions.  Splitting soup is trickier than you want it to be, and we made a fantastic mess.

I would do this again.

#38: Attend a literary convention.

BEA 2011, bitches!

#67: Try deep-fried ice cream.

Our fourth day in New York was the day that Everything Went Wrong (Or Disappointingly), and we had very dim hopes of finding the Mexican food restaurant our hostel's concierge had recommended (there are literally like two Mexican food places in all of New York, but fortuitously he used to bartend at this one and so knew of its existence).  Said restaurant was in Greenwich Village, which is a warren, and Panchitos was on a teensy side-warren, so it was with some shock and awe that we actually found it.

And then we had the enchilada-burrito platter and then we splurged on the deep fried ice cream.  Excitements!

It was wrapped in a tortilla and drizzled with sauce and it was hot and sweet and crispy and good.

Ooh, and oozy.  Disappointing day redeemed.

Updated 17 Sept 2011


And then I went to the Richmond Night Market and had deep-fried ice cream THERE, and it was way more how I imagined it to be.

The ice cream was still icy and you could fork your way through the crust without knife or significant effort.

Survey of one says: much better.

#38: Attend a literary convention.

BEA 2011, bitches!