Hello? Spring...?

Can I call it Spring if there is still a lot of snow on the ground? I've already packed away my winter boots and winter jacket because hello, it's April.  Hi. Let me re-introduce myself.  My name is Lauren, and I love food. Where have I been? Somewhere between under a rock, at work or trying not to skip class. That sounds a lot worse then it really is.

So, what have I been up to? Let me break it down for you.

• I now realize why when I tell people I'm a Journalism major they always follow up with, "Oh, so you must like to write?" Lots of paper writing, if you didn't know.

• Birthdays.  A lot of birthdays in March.  Such a good excuse to go out and indulge.  Especially when they are 21st Birthdays. 

• Interning. I have been fortunate enough to get an internship through one of my classes working for an organization that advocates for media justice, Main Street Project.  My work with them thus far has been limited, but the few workshops and events I have been to have been really inspiring. They do a lot of work on building communities in Minneapolis and with a variety of media related issues like net neutrality, digital inclusion, racial justice and communication rights; among many others. Below is a photo from the latest People's Tech workshop I attended and it is a timeline that ties together social, political, economic, and media shifts and movements.  I wrote a blog post for their website you can see here. 

• A girls gotta eat! I have to admit, I haven't been eating/cooking nearly as well as I normally like to.  It just happens, what can I say. When there are so many easy and convenient places to get on the go, and your dishes aren't doing themselves, it becomes easy to slip into a routine of gyros from Soho Cafe and eggroll salads from Bun Mi.  My dad treated me one night to a dinner at Sea Change because he talked me into going with him to "A Talk with David Hyde Pearce" at the Guthrie. My response, "the brother from Frasier? Okay, three degree separation from a Housewife and dinner at James Beard Award winning chef's restaurant....I'm in." And what a meal it was.

Sunday brunch at Be'Wiched means delicious egg sandwiches.

Seared scallops over a ratatouille with lardo (yeah, lardo) from Sea Change

Potato pancake and a berry, walnut spinach salad

•  And of course, always trying to fit in laughs and naps throughout the days.