Dana Burland

I got all wiggly while reading a NYT blog on our culture and cooking . Not because I disagreed, but because I agreed so much that I was inching toward the edge of my seat closer and closer to the screen as I read each paragraph, eventually shouting, YEAH! YOU GO, MARK BITTMAN! Bittman writes, in a world where we focus so much attention on so many food options (organic, gluten-free, low fat, vegetarian, fair trade) often we forget about the most common choice- cooking . He shares his process and backs it up against restaurant eating. As a food lovah, I couldn’t help but wonder WHY his post was even needed. Who in the universe is not cooking and why for the holy sake of garlic mashed potatoes aren't they doing it? I LOVE to cook, and I’m of the belief that if you don’t love to, you COULD love to. I’ve watched a peanut butter sandwich connoisseur turn into a roasted red pepper and sausage pizza inventor in his college apartment, a casserole-raised friend turn into risotto stirring...

Holy guacamole it's been hot 'round these parts! Lately I've been soaking up the A/C- my bones sprawled out on the couch, with a lazy focus on Iron Chef America. Saturday, it was time to focus on something a bit more productive, though. This lady had a 5k to run. Didn't matter it was a heavy 87 degrees outside (and by heavy, I mean the East Coast had already been drowning for four days in a murky 100+ degree heat wave), I laced up my running shoes, grabbed my running buddy B by the hand, and lined up at the starting line (already sweating) at an early weekend hour of 8:30 am. It was hot, guys. I could feel the heat from the pavement seeping up through the souls of my shoes. Seriously. Somewhere after the first mile & 1/2, the water stations started popping up. We passed three, grabbing water from the volunteers like fish out of water. And you know what? I didn't drink a drop of that water, either. I threw the cup over my head, down my back and across my le...

Sometimes you're the bee.... buzzing through Gettysburg; Mount Vernon, VA; and an exciting weekend in PA (in which the mayor of my city personally invited my family to attend the July 4th fireworks downtown). ...and sometimes you're the honey. Crawling through Montreal slowly. Exploring and enjoying the sweetness of the city. Oh- and soaking in that sweetness so much that it attracts angry bees.  Comment dites-vous 'I need allergy medicine now' en f rançais?

Float, float, float your tube Through all the river bends Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily, How I hate a good weekend's end

For the last five summers, my brother Estefan*, has dealt with the chaos, confusion and conundrums that is working at the pool of prominent country club Kiefer See Country Club* in Volkermarkt, Austria*. This year he was promoted from lifeguard to assistant manager. His typical day often deals less with monitoring guest safety in the water and more of absolute unpredictable absurdities. These, are his tales. (Names & locations changed to protect the innocent.) It was not a typical Wednesday night at the pool. Kiefer See Country Club was hosting their first home swim meet of the season. There were close to 400 swimmers from ages 5-18 plus parents, coaches and KSCC staff fluttering about the pool area. One would imagine (or hope) that the torrential downpour that delayed the meet by three hours, crowd control issues and technical malfunctions with the meet’s timing system would be enough chaos for one night, this was just child’s play compared to dealing with the ‘coon. In pas...

This, is my cell phone. Wait... check out my nails too. Pretty, no? This, is an example of its cool features. That's right, it's a slider with a QWERTY (that word is more fun to type than I though it would be) keyboard. Try to contain your jealously. Even more groundbreaking are the things my phone can not do: 1. Cook me dinner 2. Access the internet (*it technically CAN, I chose not to have a data plan) 3. Comprehend an 'app' beyond a built in calculator I use my phone to make telephone calls, send and receive text messages and to remind me not to forget grandma's birthday. That's IT. How old school am I? Almost I-had-to-walk-15-miles-to-school-up-hill-both-ways old school. Almost amish. I should mention, I DO have access to a smartphone. It's my work phone and it spends 85% of its life forgotten in my desk drawer. I DO use it when I travel for work. I might also use it to play Words With Friends. I love my stupidphone though. I love that...

Oh God... how old does this make me feel? It seems like just yesterday these two were creating a colorful sweater themed photo shoot... ...like just last week when they were trying on clothes while rocking out to the Backstreet Boys... ...like just last month when they were out late in a small country town for summer fireworks... ...like just last year they matched pink dresses for a classy fundraising bash... ... and now, they've GRADUATED! I feel like an emotional little old lady now that my youngest hometown pals have completed undergrad! A massive, congrats to Tori and Ellie for 4 years of success and the closing of a big old life chapter. I hope post-grad life is just as filled with impromptu photo shoots, boy band worshipping, late night firework watching and classy cocktail party going as your pre-college days were! Now where's my Klenex and denture glue?