So for those who know me, I've been going through a pile of paperwork to get my visa renewed. Yesterday I went to do my AOS medical, and overall it was a pretty crazy experience. I had to go to a state certified civil surgeon - and anyone who has gone through this process knows its really hard to find one that will take an appointment.

Luckily, I found one on the third try. Or at least I thought I was lucky.

[I'm not going to name the doctor, because they were actually SUPER nice and I have a lot of respect for them because they definitely take patients from all walks of life and are super nice to everyone that walks through their door]

Red flag number 1: I should have known that anyone who accepts an appointment as "Sure, come by on Tuesday at noon" is probably not running a very professional shop. I felt like I was making an appointment for a haircut or something.

When I called that morning to confirm my appointment and ask what to bring with me in terms of ID, they reminded me to bring payment, in the only accepted formats of cash or cheque. Red flag number 2: What kind of doctor only takes cash or cheque?

On arrival, I was greeted by a waiting room FULL of people. Red flag number 3: Probably all 12 people in this room have the same "noon" appointment that I have. Funnily enough, at least half the people there were holding the same form as I was, hoping they could get their AOS done too.

Red fag number 4: it was quite possibly the DIRTIEST most unhygienic doctor's office I have ever seen - except for the one in the middle of nowhere in vietnam which isn't saying much because it wasn't actually much better.

2 and a half hours later...I finally got into an exam room. Here are some pics from my experience:

Wood grain exam bed - very 70s

a very professional stool

some sort of scary equipment from the 70's I don't know what this is for, but it was in the room maybe they should dispose of their sharps? the container is scarily full.

This made me laugh because I can totally relate. The post was based on an article in the NYTimes about folks in new york cutting down on their spending and being able to afford apartments in the crazy overpriced housing market. T and I stopped drinking Starbucks coffee each day and we estimated that we were saving around 125 dollars a month which is close to $1500 a year. A couple years ago I went on a 'no shopping stint' and though after the stint was over I probably spent exactly what I saved, my monthly costs went down significantly for the months that i didn't indulge in retail therapy.

Anyway, here's an except of the article from Fashionista

Would You Rather: Apartment or Prada?

The more we think about it, the more this article in the NY Times breaks our heart.

It’s all about how young city professionals bought apartments in New York, all without trust funds or Wall Street jobs.

How did they do it?

“They gave up smoking to cut costs, they stopped meeting friends after work for beers, they didn’t buy new clothes, and they stashed away tax refunds and as much of their earnings as possible.”

OK – quit smoking – that makes sense. But quit shopping?

“They said that it was hardest not to spend in the beginning: In one case, they missed shopping so much that [they] splurged on a pair of $300 Prada shoes. After wearing them a few times, he realized they didn’t really fit, so he sent them to his brother in Spain. Those shoes became a symbol of the perils of impulse shopping. Over the next two years, they each saved $15,000.”

Wait - how many pairs of Prada shoes were these people buying if they saved $15,000 in two years?

Continued...

I didn't have a whole chicken but chicken breasts work well too. This was supposed to be a 'fast' recipe but its a bit of a pain to have a bunch of pans on the stove at the same time.

anyway, T really liked this and I'd consider making it again, this time actually measuring ingredients too. maybe.

Recipe is here: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/recipe_views/views/233973