Texans are pretty serious about their barbecue and they are not afraid to tell you their 'cue is the best. Period. They scoff at barbecue in places like Kansas City and Memphis, complaining that they cover up poorly smoked meat with too much sauce. They bend slightly when the Carolinas take credit for inventing barbecue. They'll admit it's probably true but they're quick to remind them that Texans came along and perfected it.

In early February I went to Los Angeles. There is the ocean, fresh seafood, lots of sun, beautiful people making movies, and there is a seemingly unending amount of good food to be had.

There is also a buttload of traffic. I dragged my poor sister along with me and we spent four days crossing off as many bucket list restaurants as humanely possible.

It’s not possible in four teeny tiny days.

While I'm on this journey to reduce, quite physically, my carbon footprint, there is a lot of inner angst I'm beginning to work through that I hadn't really prepared myself for.

Am I losing weight "fast" enough? Will I be able to keep it off? Am I getting enough exercise? And the question weighing most heavily on my mind - is this physical change going to give me the confidence I've been waiting for my entire life?

Yesterday I hit up David Chang's Momofuku DC outpost - a place I've been longing to visit for as long as I've owned the Momofuku cookbook. Yes, I had the pork belly buns. Yes, I had the ginger-scallion noodles. Yes, I had the holy grail ... Momofuku Ramen.

I took a quick trip down to Portland for my birthday. While there are still a million places in my new neck of the woods I have yet to explore, Portland is the place I go back to again and again.

To the three people I nearly killed this past week in Portland crosswalks, I’m truly sorry.