You know how you push everything aside when you’ve got a big work deadline or other event? With last week’s mid-terms I did that. The focus of my life became studying he  properties of carbon steels. Then I took my test and all the anxiety went away. I couldn’t help but walk to my car with a smile on my face (okay, so maybe that was more because I kicked butt on the test). I spent the afternoon knitting and doing laundry. (Why does having all of my laundry clean make me so happy?)

All week I’d been looking forward to Thursday evening. Sure, my test would be over by then but we also had plans to go to a wine tasting with Will, Mary, Theresa, and Chris. Not just any wine tasting, but a special tasting of Beajoulais Nouveau. This young French red wine is released the same day each year and is marked by parties throughout France (and the US, to some extent). I wasn’t a huge fan of any of the ones we tried but there’s fun in knowing everyone else is having the wine for the first time, too (I kept comparing it to the release of Book Seven which resulted in many awkward silences). They also had coq au vin and French cheeses for us to sample; the guys probably made up the cost of the tasting with their cheese consumption.

After the tasting we were all hungry so we headed to Open Sesame, a local Lebanese restaurant. We waited for quite awhile for a table (stupid guy in his 50s wouldn’t finish his glass of wine to give us his table – 45 minutes to finish the last sip). I’m so glad we went there; chicken schwarma is now on my list of favorite foods. Take chicken and marinate it in “Lebanese spices” then wrap in up in a warm pita with garlic sauce.  Plus it was better with my new finished Clapotis (still no good photos yet) helping to block the cold wind that came through the door each time the servers went out to the patio.

I’m looking forward to a relaxing weekend. My biggest worries are my writing proficiency test tomorrow, French quiz Monday, and getting the apartment ready for my in-laws’ (still odd to say that) visit starting Wednesday.