New city, new job, new everything!

So I graduated from college and moved out to Phoenix to teach language arts for the next couple years. I'm in the midst of some intense training, probably working harder than I have ever before in my entire life. I mean wake up at 5:30 am, on the bus at 6:15, sessions til 10, teach til noon, more session til 4, bus home, eat a quick dinner, then go to the 24 printing room and work until 1 am hard. It's a lot, I don't know that I've ever been this tired before, but then again I also don't know that I've ever enjoyed anything as much before. I'm teaching summer school and I've come to love my class in just the week we've been together. It's hard staying up late, but having them in my head when I'm planning lessons and making guided note sheets and things like that makes it a tiny bit easier to be so crazed.

Since I've embarked on my new venture this summer, I haven't had any time to cook (downside to working like a crazy person and living in the dorms.) These days, I crave the hummus at the dining hall, look forward to tater tots at breakfast, and sadly ponder who came up with peanut butter, apple slices and honey sandwiches as a lunch item. On the weekend, though, I make it a point to go out with my friends, to start bonding with Phoenix. We've been to some cool places, and I'm starting to find some favorites. Verde was a new find this weekend, and I'm in love with Frank & Lupe's in Old Town Scottsdale. The chicken enchiladas with poblano cream sauce? Unbelievably good. I'm a huge fan of Mexican food, so I could really just eat Mexican all the time... Which is pretty much what's been going on.

I think the new plan for cookingasprocrasination is for it to turn into cookingandeatingoutasprocrastination. That's way too long and ridiculous to put as an address, that stays the same. You all just get to read about my favorite new restaurants along with Amy-I-don't-have-enough-time-so-here's-a-crazy-shortcut cooking. And probably hear ridiculous teaching stories, since anyone (un)fortunate enough to have talked to me over the last few weeks can attest to the fact that those just seem to pop up in any conversation, regardless of relevance. Sorry, can't help it! But there'll be food things too. I miss Food & Drank already, so this is just going to have to fill that twice a month, page long empty space in my heart.

Cacti along the highway. Like I tell my friends here all the time, we really are somewhere different.