Really, I have no great excuse for being a terrible, terrible blogger when it comes to new posts this week. I have been completely wiped out this entire week, having had a very fun, very event-filled Memorial Day weekend (the short version: GP's graduation and ensuing luncheon and dinner, trip out to Half Moon Bay, and then some Santa Cruz Mountain wine tasting), and developed this sleep thing where my body likes to wake up around 5:30a rather than a more reasonable time. Blame stress, blame activity, blame earlier sunrises...I am just exhausted. But not too exhausted, it turns out, too do some Friday Fill-Ins!
1. For me, data entry is the opposite of creativity. I was recently reminded of a summer job that I had while home from college one summer, in which I learned that one truly can spend too much time reading gossip blogs-- in between soul-crushingly boring sales data entry. Thanks, though, stepdad, for employing me when no one else was interested in a motivated and organized UCLA sophomore! Seriously, that job, though...
2. Heat, by Bill Buford was the last excellent book I read. The foodie nerd in me relished (ha!) every word of his descriptions of working in various kitchens in NYC and Italy, and made me envious that I may never get to do the same. But at least it's not data entry, right?
3. I like fill-ins because sometimes there is simultaneously too much and too little interesting crap going on in one's life to be able to craft a well-thought-out post.
4. In nature I like looking at the ocean. Luckily, I get to do so fairly often, and am always mesmerized by it, to the point of being completely dazed.
5. Obama should win the US elections. ...but that's an entirely different post. We can still be friends if you disagree, though, I promise. I don't want to shy away from talking politics, but I just don't have the energy right now.
6. The last time I laughed with all my belly was at The Office last night. Yeah, yeah, it was a rerun, but Michael Scott rarely disappoints. Well, actually, that is untrue. But the disappointment is the funny kind, so I am all right with that.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to drinking some wine and watching the rest of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (thanks, dvr!), tomorrow my plans include checking out a new pedicure venue (and potentially the place that I want to do a hair trial before GP's sister's wedding) and Sunday, I want to have the obligatory weekly dinner with my mom and stepdad! (In reality, I may end up skipping it because I have to go to a conference for work in the afternoon...but we'll see)
Have a great weekend, internets! I promise that I'll be more interesting soon...
Friday, May 30, 2008
Monday, May 26, 2008
My favorite kind of Monday
...is one on which I don't have to work. Instead, there may be some wine tasting. Go check out my guest post on Life in Pink if you need a break from all the sunshine and barbecuing. I'll be back tomorrow, with a recap of all the graduation and family activity that has filled my weekend!
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Domestic goddess
Because I couldn't be bothered to be PT today, I figured I would earn my Girl Points by whipping up a fantastic dinner that did not consist of hot dogs (my immediate response when GP asked what we had for dinner). Rather, I concocted this, which was my first foray into the world of frying things in my own kitchen. All in all, it was pretty successful-- despite the fact that I got to experience My Very Own First Grease Fire. Yes, friends, olive oil will ignite if you try to tidy up with a paper towel when the burner is still on. I can't say that I recommend it. Oh, and you know there was an apron involved...I have ruined far too many shirts being spattered by wayward pan contents.
This weekend will be mercifully cooking-free, I believe, but more on that later. I am way too busy drinking wine to talk about the laundry-list of things that will be done this weekend.
This weekend will be mercifully cooking-free, I believe, but more on that later. I am way too busy drinking wine to talk about the laundry-list of things that will be done this weekend.
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Just keep swimming
This poster hangs on the wall in my office, and serves as a more stylish reminder than, for instance, a "Hang in there!" poster, that I need to keep plugging away at the interminable phone calls and emails that constitute the majority of my job. Now, for instance, I am in a tangle of CC's, unreturned phone calls, and multiple scheduling conflicts, and I want the hell out! Good thing the British Empire is there, encouraging me to maintain the stiff upper lip of my forefathers (well, Granny, at least).
I told my boss last week that I'm going back to school, and that I had been searching for library-related internships so that I can have some experience in the field even before I begin school in the fall. He took it pretty well (maybe there was some degree of relief? At any rate, he knew that what I am doing for him is not something I want to make a career of), and gave me a good reference for the internship woman, who called the day after I broke the news. The reference, along with that of a former boss (who is now a friend), sealed the deal-- I am starting an internship in a special library after we get back from Paris in July! That's not "special" as in "needs to wear a helmet at all times," just "special" as in, "a very specific collection and management system." I am pretty excited, but a bit apprehensive about being in over my head...I hope there's someplace to hang my poster at the internship place.
Monday, May 19, 2008
(Post) Weekend Update
While I can't claim to have been overwhelmingly busy last weekend, I still managed to be occupied enough not to blog. This, then, is what you are left with: bullets! What I managed to do in two days, aside from blog avoidance...
- entertain! Technically this was Friday, but I am including it because I am amazed that I was able to stay up past 10pm. I have been falling into the "in bed by 9:30" routine, which, while not bad in itself, sort of hampers one's social life. Oh, and I made a very popular (what? There were three other people eating it!) avocado mango shrimp salad (even though I ended up using papaya instead-- result of a very boring grocery-store tale). No heat required, and very refreshing. You have to try it!
- finish two library books! I am terrible, generally, at getting through books that I check out before they are (over)due, which is pretty shameful considering I am going to library school in the fall. This time, however, was different! I managed to finish Heat and One Perfect Day, both of which I highly recommend, especially the former, as I am food and cooking-obsessed these days.
- do a Major Apartment Clean-Up! We are not categorically messy people, GP and I, but we tend to have a bit of clutter in key places, including leaving drinking glasses (him) and shoes (me) in our wake as we go about our apartment business. I managed, through the weekend, to tackle the kitchen floor (thanks, Method O-Mop!), vacuuming with out teeny-tiny vacuum cleaner, dual bathroom cleanup, and balcony organization. Since the balcony (re) construction, there has been a ton of debris and whatnot due to further roof construction. It is a regular three-ring circus of construction crap and noise in our complex! If only we could...you know, enjoy it being done.
- get through two loads of laundry! Well...one and a half? We have big dryers, and each load is $1 wash and $1 dry. We are not Rockefeller, you know.
- spend less than $100 at Target! This is a big deal, folks. I finished birthday shopping for my mom, snagged some Jergens Natural Glow for me, and grabbed a full-length mirror so I have nothing holding me back from participating in Mission: Put Together but my own morning indecision and subsequent donning of jeans and a sweater. (Why yes, it is upwards of 80 degrees outside. I am completely insane.)
- was able to watch live television again! So, remember that week where the DirecTV tripod lived in our living room? Yeah, that week ended, and we were able to have it re-erected...only to have the dish knocked out of alignment by a wayward roofer. They said that they "might" be able to pay for the realignment, and I think I "might" kill them if we end up having to pay for something that we did not do (!!!!!). Anyway, the DirecTV contractor showed up a good 90 minutes after the 4-hour window during which he was supposed to arrive had elapsed, but at least he fixed our tv. To celebrate, I went home for lunch today and watched Access Hollywood and felt some of my brain disintegrating.
- hopped back on the Lost bandwagon! GP and I watched "The Shape of Things to Come" last night, and I am conscientiously avoiding spoilers so that he doesn't kill me during any of the ensuing four episodes we have to watch so that we're caught up. While we are obsessed with television, we manage to be obsessed on our own terms.
How was your weekend, internets?
- entertain! Technically this was Friday, but I am including it because I am amazed that I was able to stay up past 10pm. I have been falling into the "in bed by 9:30" routine, which, while not bad in itself, sort of hampers one's social life. Oh, and I made a very popular (what? There were three other people eating it!) avocado mango shrimp salad (even though I ended up using papaya instead-- result of a very boring grocery-store tale). No heat required, and very refreshing. You have to try it!
- finish two library books! I am terrible, generally, at getting through books that I check out before they are (over)due, which is pretty shameful considering I am going to library school in the fall. This time, however, was different! I managed to finish Heat and One Perfect Day, both of which I highly recommend, especially the former, as I am food and cooking-obsessed these days.
- do a Major Apartment Clean-Up! We are not categorically messy people, GP and I, but we tend to have a bit of clutter in key places, including leaving drinking glasses (him) and shoes (me) in our wake as we go about our apartment business. I managed, through the weekend, to tackle the kitchen floor (thanks, Method O-Mop!), vacuuming with out teeny-tiny vacuum cleaner, dual bathroom cleanup, and balcony organization. Since the balcony (re) construction, there has been a ton of debris and whatnot due to further roof construction. It is a regular three-ring circus of construction crap and noise in our complex! If only we could...you know, enjoy it being done.
- get through two loads of laundry! Well...one and a half? We have big dryers, and each load is $1 wash and $1 dry. We are not Rockefeller, you know.
- spend less than $100 at Target! This is a big deal, folks. I finished birthday shopping for my mom, snagged some Jergens Natural Glow for me, and grabbed a full-length mirror so I have nothing holding me back from participating in Mission: Put Together but my own morning indecision and subsequent donning of jeans and a sweater. (Why yes, it is upwards of 80 degrees outside. I am completely insane.)
- was able to watch live television again! So, remember that week where the DirecTV tripod lived in our living room? Yeah, that week ended, and we were able to have it re-erected...only to have the dish knocked out of alignment by a wayward roofer. They said that they "might" be able to pay for the realignment, and I think I "might" kill them if we end up having to pay for something that we did not do (!!!!!). Anyway, the DirecTV contractor showed up a good 90 minutes after the 4-hour window during which he was supposed to arrive had elapsed, but at least he fixed our tv. To celebrate, I went home for lunch today and watched Access Hollywood and felt some of my brain disintegrating.
- hopped back on the Lost bandwagon! GP and I watched "The Shape of Things to Come" last night, and I am conscientiously avoiding spoilers so that he doesn't kill me during any of the ensuing four episodes we have to watch so that we're caught up. While we are obsessed with television, we manage to be obsessed on our own terms.
How was your weekend, internets?
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Officially a wino
Better late than never, right? As you know (or should, at least, because I couldn't shut up about it), we went to Sonoma last weekend for Mother's Day with my mom and stepdad, my brother, and GP's parents. We had been planning a fun weekend full of wine tasting and delicious food, and that is exactly what we got! Oh, and all my worrying about mom competitions? Certainly for naught. I don't think that our parents are going to be forming drum circles or anything, but having them get along for a period longer than, say, a meal (which was the length of their previous exposure to each other), was encouraging.
Saturday began early, as we wanted to get on the road by 8 in order to make it to our northernmost winery destination by 10, which is when they open. After picking up GP's parents at their hotel, we made our way up the East Bay, past Berkeley and Oakland, and then over the Richmond-San Rafael bridge into the North Bay. As we got closer to the wineries, my brother called and told me that they were two cars behind us, so our planning worked out really well. The first winery we went to was St. Francis, which had a beautiful backyard-type area behind it, as well as a pretty gorgeous main building. Their wines were all right, but the girl who was pouring was basically ignoring us. If you haven't been tasting, you need to know that it isn't like going to a bar; of course, you are drinking, and have the potential to be quite smashed by about noon, but the people pouring are supposed to interact with you, as it is their job to make you want to buy the wine.
Winery number two was the polar opposite, though. We got there right at the time that they were beginning their cave tour, so we got to see the caves where they keep their barrels, which are really cool. It didn't hurt that it had started to heat up and the caves were at least 10 degrees cooler than outside. Going into their tasting room, we noticed that they had a specific area for a VIP-style tasting, and being the snobs (and cheese enthusiasts!) that we are, we seated ourselves on their classy leather sofas and sipped our four tastes (for a fairly-steep $20, but come on! There was cheese involved!). This was when the buying started, too. When GP and I go tasting in Napa, we might come home with half a case or so, total, of wines that we tried and liked. When we go to Amador County wine events, we might bring home a bit more than a case, because it is cheaper there (but still good wine!). When we were there this weekend, we came away with three cases of wine. I blame the parents-- my parents are huuuuge wine collectors (we're talking hundreds of bottles here, multiple winery memberships), and his parents are members of a couple Sonoma wineries, even though they live in New York.
We stopped at a cute Italian deli/cafe place for something to soak up all the wine we'd consumed (we are not apt to pour anything out unless it is pretty gross), and then headed off to another winery, where I got to hang out with the Official Winery Dog while we tasted. Being the smart animal that he is, he had decided to take a nap on the cool, tiled tasting room floor to escape the heat...right on one of my feet. Thanks, dog.
The families split after this, because my parents wanted to visit just one more place and then go to the hotel to rest before dinner, so GP and I and his parents headed, ambitiously, to three more places.
Pretty exhausted, we tucked into dinner at a place I had been eager to try, and made the (totally too-long) drive back to our hotel, where I am proud to say I passed out before 9pm. It had been a loooooong day.
The next morning, after having presented both moms with presents and spending some time hanging out at the hotel bar for mimosas and Bloody Marys, we made our way to , where GP's parents are members. We skipped the tour, having chosen some morning drinking instead, but got there in time to sample some Blanc de Noirs before we were seated for brunch. The brunch was surprising-- I had expected maybe a buffet or a range of options, but we all ended up with the same salad with bay shrimp, lamb, and fresh fruit trifle (no beef sauteed with peas and onions, sorry!). Other than the lamb being so rare it was near-bleating (woo, homonyms! Get it?), everything was very delicious. After our meal, we sat outside and tasted while enjoying a great view of the entire valley.
All in all, a successful weekend. Carrying the wine from the car to the apartment was a bit of a pain, but I'm pretty certain we won't need to buy anything until we go back to Amador for their Fall Crush event. The only problem now is that we have all these nice wines and only a couple "occasions" coming up... I'm sure we'll manage, though.
Saturday began early, as we wanted to get on the road by 8 in order to make it to our northernmost winery destination by 10, which is when they open. After picking up GP's parents at their hotel, we made our way up the East Bay, past Berkeley and Oakland, and then over the Richmond-San Rafael bridge into the North Bay. As we got closer to the wineries, my brother called and told me that they were two cars behind us, so our planning worked out really well. The first winery we went to was St. Francis, which had a beautiful backyard-type area behind it, as well as a pretty gorgeous main building. Their wines were all right, but the girl who was pouring was basically ignoring us. If you haven't been tasting, you need to know that it isn't like going to a bar; of course, you are drinking, and have the potential to be quite smashed by about noon, but the people pouring are supposed to interact with you, as it is their job to make you want to buy the wine.
Winery number two was the polar opposite, though. We got there right at the time that they were beginning their cave tour, so we got to see the caves where they keep their barrels, which are really cool. It didn't hurt that it had started to heat up and the caves were at least 10 degrees cooler than outside. Going into their tasting room, we noticed that they had a specific area for a VIP-style tasting, and being the snobs (and cheese enthusiasts!) that we are, we seated ourselves on their classy leather sofas and sipped our four tastes (for a fairly-steep $20, but come on! There was cheese involved!). This was when the buying started, too. When GP and I go tasting in Napa, we might come home with half a case or so, total, of wines that we tried and liked. When we go to Amador County wine events, we might bring home a bit more than a case, because it is cheaper there (but still good wine!). When we were there this weekend, we came away with three cases of wine. I blame the parents-- my parents are huuuuge wine collectors (we're talking hundreds of bottles here, multiple winery memberships), and his parents are members of a couple Sonoma wineries, even though they live in New York.
We stopped at a cute Italian deli/cafe place for something to soak up all the wine we'd consumed (we are not apt to pour anything out unless it is pretty gross), and then headed off to another winery, where I got to hang out with the Official Winery Dog while we tasted. Being the smart animal that he is, he had decided to take a nap on the cool, tiled tasting room floor to escape the heat...right on one of my feet. Thanks, dog.
The families split after this, because my parents wanted to visit just one more place and then go to the hotel to rest before dinner, so GP and I and his parents headed, ambitiously, to three more places.
Pretty exhausted, we tucked into dinner at a place I had been eager to try, and made the (totally too-long) drive back to our hotel, where I am proud to say I passed out before 9pm. It had been a loooooong day.
The next morning, after having presented both moms with presents and spending some time hanging out at the hotel bar for mimosas and Bloody Marys, we made our way to , where GP's parents are members. We skipped the tour, having chosen some morning drinking instead, but got there in time to sample some Blanc de Noirs before we were seated for brunch. The brunch was surprising-- I had expected maybe a buffet or a range of options, but we all ended up with the same salad with bay shrimp, lamb, and fresh fruit trifle (no beef sauteed with peas and onions, sorry!). Other than the lamb being so rare it was near-bleating (woo, homonyms! Get it?), everything was very delicious. After our meal, we sat outside and tasted while enjoying a great view of the entire valley.
All in all, a successful weekend. Carrying the wine from the car to the apartment was a bit of a pain, but I'm pretty certain we won't need to buy anything until we go back to Amador for their Fall Crush event. The only problem now is that we have all these nice wines and only a couple "occasions" coming up... I'm sure we'll manage, though.
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Thank God for the beef
I read somewhere a long time ago that that is roughly what Shia LaBoeuf's name means, and I am a bit jealous because Megan Elise Lastname? Doesn't mean a darn thing, probably because lastname is some mashup of multiple generations of slutty ancestors adapting their names to their new language. Anyway, on to the show-- it is Tuesday night, so I assume the more responsible of you have already gotten it out of your Tivos...
Our cold open this week is Hillary C. as the President, or in a message "brought to you by the President." Superdelegates, blah blah. I am bummed that the primaries are going on so long, but I am hopeful about the outcome, come November. Oh, and Hillary will be a great president because she is a "sore loser," her "supporters are racist" (I damn near died after she said this), and she "has no ethical standards"-- apparently they are having to back up the fact that they are not Hillary-biased, after having portrayed her more favorably earlier this season. The strange thing is, I am sure that they will make fun of whoever ends up winning, and whoever ultimately becomes President in the fall (cough Obama cough).
Monologue. Please, baby Jesus, no singing! That is all I ask. Shia LaBoeuf (who, if you must know, I have loved ever since the Even Stevens days) looks like quite the hipster, in his gray jeans and blazer and shit-ton of hair-product. The pants fit a bit oddly, and it leads me to believe that he may be wearing an adult diaper-- I'm just sayin'. Oh, and he hosted before? I suppose I blocked that out, due to my hatred of the Dear Sister sketch. Not a fan. But I am an Indiana Jones fan! Dude, he and James Bond were totally my prepubescent crushes; what can I say, I love a Man of Adventure. Highlights: Sean Connery (oh, I miss you, Celebrity Jeopardy!) shows, and is greatly chagrined to have been left off the Last Crusade lunchbox, and then Amy P. is Short Round (whatever happened to that kid?).
Ugh, MacGruber. Now with added Son of MacGruber! Unfortunately, there is little added humor, though there is a trio of awesome wigs. Oh, and Son of Mac Gruber is gay.
It's a Match, with Guy Lang! But Guy Lang has been murdered, and the six '70s celebrities are left to make references to a game show that is significantly older than Shia LaBoeuf. While "making whoopie" is only marginally humorous, Fred Armisen does a killer Paul Lynde. Also, great wig work.
Mercifully, there is a commercial break. Guys, I am totally going to see Crystal Skull, and none of you can stop me! It is probably going to be lame, but my love for Indiana Jones knows few bounds...
Yellow-jacketed LaBoeuf beckons us into the 16th Precinct, where three Game Stop shoplifters are being given a stern warning by a Scared Straight Kenan Thompson. They stand up, sit back down, and repeat, and it is about as funny as it sounds... Also, Bill Hader, a Stussy t-shirt? That is straight retro biznass. Oh, and a Goonies rehash. Just how old is LaBoeuf, anyway? I am a cranky old lady today. My back hurts from the elliptical, I don't know why.
MacGruber, again. I am having a hard time getting it up for this episode. I would so rather be watching crazy wedding programming.
But! Next week! Steve Carrell and Usher! I can't wait to see Get Smart. How much do I love Anne Hathaway and want to eat ice cream sundaes with her? The answer is "a lot."
Ok, we are into bulleted-list territory. Here's the quick and dirty version of the rest of the episode:
- Suze Orman Show. Crazy jacket, and where the hell is my stimulus check?
- Digital Short. LaBoeuf and Samberg are talkin' pantsless fashion in a locker room. Would this really be any more ridiculous than most guys usually look? At least it would be pretty funny, because, come on, naked dudes are pretty funny-looking.
- I watched My Morning Jacket perform, just for you, Jenn. They are pretty great, and totally not what I was expecting. SNL has been bringing the Pretty Sweet Music recently, what with the Vampire Weekend performance earlier this season and all...
- Weekend Update, which GP hilariously referred to as "the news." Always my favorite part of the episode.
- La Rivista della Televisione, where Bill Hader smokes a lot and I realize how tall Shia LaBoeuf is. Damn, kid!
- Another g-d MacGruber. There is kiss-vomiting, or vomit-kissing, or whatever. It is gross, and I don't like it one bit.
- Awkward Glances Across a Restaurant. So, I am not someone who gets many glances in restaurants (or Safeway, or the gym, or Starbucks, or whatever), but I imagine that it is about this awkward. What's up with that? I guess I would prefer staring to having to talk to them, though...because I am a Total Bitch.
- Again with My Morning Jacket. Loving it.
- Exaggerated Southerners try on clashing patterns. "Funky" is rarely something to aspire to, folks. But there is totally a shout-out to Decatur! Represent! Shia LaBoeuf, by the way, looks like your confused little brother, raiding your closet and trying on your pinkest dress. And now I understand the True Meaning of "Bless his heart."
Our cold open this week is Hillary C. as the President, or in a message "brought to you by the President." Superdelegates, blah blah. I am bummed that the primaries are going on so long, but I am hopeful about the outcome, come November. Oh, and Hillary will be a great president because she is a "sore loser," her "supporters are racist" (I damn near died after she said this), and she "has no ethical standards"-- apparently they are having to back up the fact that they are not Hillary-biased, after having portrayed her more favorably earlier this season. The strange thing is, I am sure that they will make fun of whoever ends up winning, and whoever ultimately becomes President in the fall (cough Obama cough).
Monologue. Please, baby Jesus, no singing! That is all I ask. Shia LaBoeuf (who, if you must know, I have loved ever since the Even Stevens days) looks like quite the hipster, in his gray jeans and blazer and shit-ton of hair-product. The pants fit a bit oddly, and it leads me to believe that he may be wearing an adult diaper-- I'm just sayin'. Oh, and he hosted before? I suppose I blocked that out, due to my hatred of the Dear Sister sketch. Not a fan. But I am an Indiana Jones fan! Dude, he and James Bond were totally my prepubescent crushes; what can I say, I love a Man of Adventure. Highlights: Sean Connery (oh, I miss you, Celebrity Jeopardy!) shows, and is greatly chagrined to have been left off the Last Crusade lunchbox, and then Amy P. is Short Round (whatever happened to that kid?).
Ugh, MacGruber. Now with added Son of MacGruber! Unfortunately, there is little added humor, though there is a trio of awesome wigs. Oh, and Son of Mac Gruber is gay.
It's a Match, with Guy Lang! But Guy Lang has been murdered, and the six '70s celebrities are left to make references to a game show that is significantly older than Shia LaBoeuf. While "making whoopie" is only marginally humorous, Fred Armisen does a killer Paul Lynde. Also, great wig work.
Mercifully, there is a commercial break. Guys, I am totally going to see Crystal Skull, and none of you can stop me! It is probably going to be lame, but my love for Indiana Jones knows few bounds...
Yellow-jacketed LaBoeuf beckons us into the 16th Precinct, where three Game Stop shoplifters are being given a stern warning by a Scared Straight Kenan Thompson. They stand up, sit back down, and repeat, and it is about as funny as it sounds... Also, Bill Hader, a Stussy t-shirt? That is straight retro biznass. Oh, and a Goonies rehash. Just how old is LaBoeuf, anyway? I am a cranky old lady today. My back hurts from the elliptical, I don't know why.
MacGruber, again. I am having a hard time getting it up for this episode. I would so rather be watching crazy wedding programming.
But! Next week! Steve Carrell and Usher! I can't wait to see Get Smart. How much do I love Anne Hathaway and want to eat ice cream sundaes with her? The answer is "a lot."
Ok, we are into bulleted-list territory. Here's the quick and dirty version of the rest of the episode:
- Suze Orman Show. Crazy jacket, and where the hell is my stimulus check?
- Digital Short. LaBoeuf and Samberg are talkin' pantsless fashion in a locker room. Would this really be any more ridiculous than most guys usually look? At least it would be pretty funny, because, come on, naked dudes are pretty funny-looking.
- I watched My Morning Jacket perform, just for you, Jenn. They are pretty great, and totally not what I was expecting. SNL has been bringing the Pretty Sweet Music recently, what with the Vampire Weekend performance earlier this season and all...
- Weekend Update, which GP hilariously referred to as "the news." Always my favorite part of the episode.
- La Rivista della Televisione, where Bill Hader smokes a lot and I realize how tall Shia LaBoeuf is. Damn, kid!
- Another g-d MacGruber. There is kiss-vomiting, or vomit-kissing, or whatever. It is gross, and I don't like it one bit.
- Awkward Glances Across a Restaurant. So, I am not someone who gets many glances in restaurants (or Safeway, or the gym, or Starbucks, or whatever), but I imagine that it is about this awkward. What's up with that? I guess I would prefer staring to having to talk to them, though...because I am a Total Bitch.
- Again with My Morning Jacket. Loving it.
- Exaggerated Southerners try on clashing patterns. "Funky" is rarely something to aspire to, folks. But there is totally a shout-out to Decatur! Represent! Shia LaBoeuf, by the way, looks like your confused little brother, raiding your closet and trying on your pinkest dress. And now I understand the True Meaning of "Bless his heart."
Coming attractions
Because, unfortunately, there are people in the office and I don't have the option of working from home, I am unable to do the SNL recap at this very moment (I am pretty excited to watch and mock mercilessly, though). Oh, and I took a picture of all the wine we bought last weekend (I say "we," but really GP was the benefactor), but it is trapped in my camera, in the study of our apartment. So what you get for now is a list of all the stuff I will be doing in the next month and a half or so...
Memorial Day weekend - GP graduates! He's all growns up now, with his master's degree and fancy job, so his parents as well as his sister and her fiance will be coming to town for a Big Fat Graduation Event. His graduation is all kind of early in the morning, at the school's football stadium-- because of this, and because I graduated from a South Bay public high school, I have to keep reminding his parents that they could wear a barrel with suspenders, for all anyone else will care. For real, there will be air horns and people banging on pots and pans with utensils. Classy. Post-graduation, there will be some eating and drinking, which I am working to finalize because the stupid restaurant guy hasn't finalized with me.
The next day, we're going to the beach! This is how you know GP's family isn't from California: they want to go to the beach on Memorial Day weekend, which is a truly insane proposition. There is generally "beach traffic" every weekend from May through September/October, with holiday weekends being the worst. But they came all this way, and are intent on "swimming" (y'all, our water is freezing-- you don't swim unless you are four years old or completely insane), so we will go.
Monday is up in the air, but our tentative plans are to go to local Santa Cruz mountain wineries...because we cannot get enough of wine. Seriously, we are running out of room.
Third weekend in June - We will be the ones traveling across the country! GP's sister is getting married, and it is going to be a Big Fat Armenian wedding, with very few expenses spared. Aside from the frozen drink bar and the fact that I will get to have my hair done and ride in a limo, I am most excited to field all the "So when are you getting married?" queries. My planned response is, "Ask him," but do let me know if you have any suggestions-- GP is not a fan of my current planned response.
Oh, and a couple days after the wedding, we are going to Paris! I've mentioned this in passing, but here's the deal: we are in the "habit" of taking one big trip a year (last year it was Puerto Vallarta), and his parents haven't ever been to Paris together, so the logical remedy to this was that we would all go together, in a "honeymoon" of sorts. Yes, GP's sister is getting married and going to Anguilla for her actual honeymoon, but the four of us will be taking Paris by storm! His parents are generously paying for everything but the airfare (our combined SFO-EWR-CDG-EWR-SJC itinerary was like $1400, yikes), and I am hoping we might be able to sneak in a romantic moment or two. Expect to be sick of hearing me talk about damn Paris by the time I leave...because I cannot wait to go!
Is it summer yet?
Memorial Day weekend - GP graduates! He's all growns up now, with his master's degree and fancy job, so his parents as well as his sister and her fiance will be coming to town for a Big Fat Graduation Event. His graduation is all kind of early in the morning, at the school's football stadium-- because of this, and because I graduated from a South Bay public high school, I have to keep reminding his parents that they could wear a barrel with suspenders, for all anyone else will care. For real, there will be air horns and people banging on pots and pans with utensils. Classy. Post-graduation, there will be some eating and drinking, which I am working to finalize because the stupid restaurant guy hasn't finalized with me.
The next day, we're going to the beach! This is how you know GP's family isn't from California: they want to go to the beach on Memorial Day weekend, which is a truly insane proposition. There is generally "beach traffic" every weekend from May through September/October, with holiday weekends being the worst. But they came all this way, and are intent on "swimming" (y'all, our water is freezing-- you don't swim unless you are four years old or completely insane), so we will go.
Monday is up in the air, but our tentative plans are to go to local Santa Cruz mountain wineries...because we cannot get enough of wine. Seriously, we are running out of room.
Third weekend in June - We will be the ones traveling across the country! GP's sister is getting married, and it is going to be a Big Fat Armenian wedding, with very few expenses spared. Aside from the frozen drink bar and the fact that I will get to have my hair done and ride in a limo, I am most excited to field all the "So when are you getting married?" queries. My planned response is, "Ask him," but do let me know if you have any suggestions-- GP is not a fan of my current planned response.
Oh, and a couple days after the wedding, we are going to Paris! I've mentioned this in passing, but here's the deal: we are in the "habit" of taking one big trip a year (last year it was Puerto Vallarta), and his parents haven't ever been to Paris together, so the logical remedy to this was that we would all go together, in a "honeymoon" of sorts. Yes, GP's sister is getting married and going to Anguilla for her actual honeymoon, but the four of us will be taking Paris by storm! His parents are generously paying for everything but the airfare (our combined SFO-EWR-CDG-EWR-SJC itinerary was like $1400, yikes), and I am hoping we might be able to sneak in a romantic moment or two. Expect to be sick of hearing me talk about damn Paris by the time I leave...because I cannot wait to go!
Is it summer yet?
Monday, May 12, 2008
Coming up!
What you have to look forward to, when I get to it:
-rehash of the wine-tasting/brunch weekend (preview: it was so great!)
-recap of last weekend's SNL, hosted by Shia LaBoeuf and featuring My Morning Jacket (a band that I have never heard of, because I am hopelessly uncool)
-review of all the things that I have to look forward to in the coming month and a half
For now, though, I leave you with a link to one of the funnier things I've discovered on the internets in recent days...ladies and gents, I give you Rap Graphs.
-rehash of the wine-tasting/brunch weekend (preview: it was so great!)
-recap of last weekend's SNL, hosted by Shia LaBoeuf and featuring My Morning Jacket (a band that I have never heard of, because I am hopelessly uncool)
-review of all the things that I have to look forward to in the coming month and a half
For now, though, I leave you with a link to one of the funnier things I've discovered on the internets in recent days...ladies and gents, I give you Rap Graphs.
Saturday, May 10, 2008
New slang
As promised, here is the short tale of how I learned that my mother was aware of the meaning of "hollaback girl"-- honestly, I have to admit that I wasn't entirely sure what it meant until she told me.
Mom: Hey, you know that Gewn Stefani song, "Hollaback Girl," with the bananas?
Me: Oh, yeah! You know I like songs with spelling in them.
Mom: I guessed you would like it. Anyway, I used to think that she was saying "holla-fat" girl, and I had no idea what that meant. But then one of my teachers [my mom is an elementary school administrator] told me. Do you know what a "hollaback girl" is?
Me: Can't say that I do, lady. [This was mostly true. I had a vague idea, but couldn't wait to see what she would say.]
Mom: It's like, when there's a guy who gives a girl a booty call [Dude, my mom just said "booty call," and I am dying inside.], and she, you know..."holla"s back. You know, calls him or gives him the booty call or whatever.
Me: [dies]
...and, scene.
Up next, some multi-mom wine-tasting! Oh, and I will tell the tale of a humiliating Mother's Day event that happened at my high school workplace (that is, where I worked in high school, not that my current workplace is...oh, forget it).
Have a great weekend, lovelies!
Mom: Hey, you know that Gewn Stefani song, "Hollaback Girl," with the bananas?
Me: Oh, yeah! You know I like songs with spelling in them.
Mom: I guessed you would like it. Anyway, I used to think that she was saying "holla-fat" girl, and I had no idea what that meant. But then one of my teachers [my mom is an elementary school administrator] told me. Do you know what a "hollaback girl" is?
Me: Can't say that I do, lady. [This was mostly true. I had a vague idea, but couldn't wait to see what she would say.]
Mom: It's like, when there's a guy who gives a girl a booty call [Dude, my mom just said "booty call," and I am dying inside.], and she, you know..."holla"s back. You know, calls him or gives him the booty call or whatever.
Me: [dies]
...and, scene.
Up next, some multi-mom wine-tasting! Oh, and I will tell the tale of a humiliating Mother's Day event that happened at my high school workplace (that is, where I worked in high school, not that my current workplace is...oh, forget it).
Have a great weekend, lovelies!
Friday, May 9, 2008
Hollaback girl
As I am walking from my car to The Apartment last night, shopping bags in hand, I hear from across the main quad in the complex, "How you doin'?" Think Joey Tribbiani, but not as endearing. There are, in the quad at the time, several people-- kids around the pool, a few people on the patio outside the gym, people sitting on their balconies, etc. I don't turn around, because I know that no one I know is around.
He shouts again, "Hey, Red, how you doin'?" My hair isn't red anymore, but I am wearing a red shirt, one that I received multiple compliments on while shopping (sidenote: how nice is it to get that random compliment when you're in the middle of a body-shame sprial?). I turn around to see who feels it appropriate to shout at me across the quad like a construction worker while I am just minding my own business-- of course, it is one of probably about five guys that live in a single apartment facing the quad. Sighing and rolling my eyes, I instinctively raise my middle finger and book it to my apartment.
Because I ain't no Hollaback Girl.
(Someday I will tell y'all the tale of how my mother divulged her knowledge of this phrase's meaning. It is hilarious.)
He shouts again, "Hey, Red, how you doin'?" My hair isn't red anymore, but I am wearing a red shirt, one that I received multiple compliments on while shopping (sidenote: how nice is it to get that random compliment when you're in the middle of a body-shame sprial?). I turn around to see who feels it appropriate to shout at me across the quad like a construction worker while I am just minding my own business-- of course, it is one of probably about five guys that live in a single apartment facing the quad. Sighing and rolling my eyes, I instinctively raise my middle finger and book it to my apartment.
Because I ain't no Hollaback Girl.
(Someday I will tell y'all the tale of how my mother divulged her knowledge of this phrase's meaning. It is hilarious.)
Thursday, May 8, 2008
In which I shop, spontaneously and plentifully
Really, is there any other way? Hoping to find some great stuff for Mother's Day, I headed to the mall. I do not go as frequently as, say, high school-- when I used to go multiple times in a week, relishing the dual rewards of having a driver's license and a part-time job-- but I still enjoy the plethora of great stores there. Thanks, Westfield! I would say that I managed a good bit of restraint, but on the other hand, I did a fair amount of damage. I did talk myself out of things, though!
The haul is as follows...
Short bubble dress from Forever 21, to be paired with some black leggings, which are my first leggings since about third grade. I am late to the party, but still a bit hesitant about them. They will not, under any circumstances, be worn as pants. Also, in walking around various stores, I saw that there was a big Black and Pink Moment happening, which is nice because it's a color combo that I like, and was able to re-create for pretty cheap. I am worried that I'm getting too old to shop at Forever 21, and do have some sweatshop concerns...but my love of a comfy little dress outweighs these things. Does that make me a terrible person?
What can I say, I love a big-ass ring. Also, this thing was less than $3. I win! There are also some flat, cream-colored sandals, but you'll have to wait until they're a Shoe of the Day to see those...
I stopped into this Heritage 1981 store, and was perplexed. Is it the same thing as Forever 21, but a little more hipster? That they are near each other in my mall does not help matters any-- does anyone know what the heck this store is? I am also a little bummed that 1981 is now this crazy-in-the-past time. The kids working there were definitely born in the '90s, and that's just wrong.
Next was Papyrus, which was really the only stop I needed to make while I was there (everything else was just a bonus!), and I picked up cards for my grandma and GP's mom (from him...I know! I am a great girlfriend), as well as these cute pink and brown cards that were half off. I couldn't resist!
Ann Taylor was a bit of a bust-- I didn't end up even trying anything on, although I did see the polka dot dress that was in the last Shop It To Me email. Everything at Ann Taylor was blue or green, and I was just not in that mood today. Luckily, a few doors down, there was NY&Co., with its siren song of a sale. Buy one get another 50% off, it crooned. Who was I to argue?
I walked out with two tops, including this one...
(which I will not be pairing with my blue-and-white checked pants, thankyouverymuch), as well as another one that is sort of purple-y and black, with sequin detailing around the neck. (Upon seeing this shirt, GP remarked that I have a lot of clothes that make me look like a flapper. I am not sure that he knows what a flapper is.) I also made off with a trio of their new body products (so delicious-smelling! I got the gardenia and pomegranate ones) for $15 (!!!) and a cute pair of earrings. Oh, and this little number:
Memorial Day is almost here folks! Not that I pay much attention to that particular rule...
The haul is as follows...
Short bubble dress from Forever 21, to be paired with some black leggings, which are my first leggings since about third grade. I am late to the party, but still a bit hesitant about them. They will not, under any circumstances, be worn as pants. Also, in walking around various stores, I saw that there was a big Black and Pink Moment happening, which is nice because it's a color combo that I like, and was able to re-create for pretty cheap. I am worried that I'm getting too old to shop at Forever 21, and do have some sweatshop concerns...but my love of a comfy little dress outweighs these things. Does that make me a terrible person?
What can I say, I love a big-ass ring. Also, this thing was less than $3. I win! There are also some flat, cream-colored sandals, but you'll have to wait until they're a Shoe of the Day to see those...
I stopped into this Heritage 1981 store, and was perplexed. Is it the same thing as Forever 21, but a little more hipster? That they are near each other in my mall does not help matters any-- does anyone know what the heck this store is? I am also a little bummed that 1981 is now this crazy-in-the-past time. The kids working there were definitely born in the '90s, and that's just wrong.
Next was Papyrus, which was really the only stop I needed to make while I was there (everything else was just a bonus!), and I picked up cards for my grandma and GP's mom (from him...I know! I am a great girlfriend), as well as these cute pink and brown cards that were half off. I couldn't resist!
Ann Taylor was a bit of a bust-- I didn't end up even trying anything on, although I did see the polka dot dress that was in the last Shop It To Me email. Everything at Ann Taylor was blue or green, and I was just not in that mood today. Luckily, a few doors down, there was NY&Co., with its siren song of a sale. Buy one get another 50% off, it crooned. Who was I to argue?
I walked out with two tops, including this one...
(which I will not be pairing with my blue-and-white checked pants, thankyouverymuch), as well as another one that is sort of purple-y and black, with sequin detailing around the neck. (Upon seeing this shirt, GP remarked that I have a lot of clothes that make me look like a flapper. I am not sure that he knows what a flapper is.) I also made off with a trio of their new body products (so delicious-smelling! I got the gardenia and pomegranate ones) for $15 (!!!) and a cute pair of earrings. Oh, and this little number:
Memorial Day is almost here folks! Not that I pay much attention to that particular rule...
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
DANGER!!!1!!
This is what our balcony looks like right now...
Cuidado, indeed. Even if we wanted to, we couldn't open the door-- there is a 2x4 wedged behind the slider, in a cruel reversal of the "security system" GP has devised that involves placing a level (yes, a level) behind the interior sliding door space.
Oh, and where is all the stuff that usually lives on the balcony?
Why, right in the living room, of course! Where else should we put the 12-foot tripod that elevates our DirecTV dish to a height where it's able to receive signal? I am shocked that I haven't stubbed any toes on this thing, shocked and grateful.
In addition to this business, there are currently many different Huge Piles of Dirt blocking random walkways throughout the complex, which make getting to one's car or fetching the mail a more challenging task than ever thought possible. There is, of course, also the accompaniment of numerous power tools, if your brain needed any more aggravation. Ah, apartment living...
Cuidado, indeed. Even if we wanted to, we couldn't open the door-- there is a 2x4 wedged behind the slider, in a cruel reversal of the "security system" GP has devised that involves placing a level (yes, a level) behind the interior sliding door space.
Oh, and where is all the stuff that usually lives on the balcony?
Why, right in the living room, of course! Where else should we put the 12-foot tripod that elevates our DirecTV dish to a height where it's able to receive signal? I am shocked that I haven't stubbed any toes on this thing, shocked and grateful.
In addition to this business, there are currently many different Huge Piles of Dirt blocking random walkways throughout the complex, which make getting to one's car or fetching the mail a more challenging task than ever thought possible. There is, of course, also the accompaniment of numerous power tools, if your brain needed any more aggravation. Ah, apartment living...
Shop It To Me...Wednesday
Yeah, I know, I got the email yesterday, and I really have no excuse other than my own laziness for not posting my favorite (on sale!) things that were in the Seis de Mayo SitM email. Better late than never, though, right?
I almost never love the tops that are in the email-- can't get as excited about them, for some reason-- but I really enjoy this DVF one:
Black and white! I am in love!
Now, the obligatory shoe: an adorable Steve Madden d'Orsay wedge.
Oh, and I couldn't resist The Shiny! Check out this patent Cole Haan clutch (seriously, the love affair continues):
Finally, Ann Taylor is batting a thousand right now, with some wonderful dresses (if, like me, you have about a trillion friends' weddings to go to in the coming months) and a comfy-looking pair of jeans (that I just might end up buying) from Ann Taylor Loft.
Coming up later today...what DANGER!!!1! looks like.
I almost never love the tops that are in the email-- can't get as excited about them, for some reason-- but I really enjoy this DVF one:
Black and white! I am in love!
Now, the obligatory shoe: an adorable Steve Madden d'Orsay wedge.
Oh, and I couldn't resist The Shiny! Check out this patent Cole Haan clutch (seriously, the love affair continues):
Finally, Ann Taylor is batting a thousand right now, with some wonderful dresses (if, like me, you have about a trillion friends' weddings to go to in the coming months) and a comfy-looking pair of jeans (that I just might end up buying) from Ann Taylor Loft.
Coming up later today...what DANGER!!!1! looks like.
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
On returning from the apartment-complex gym...
Some questions:
1. High school-aged girls, can we please watch something other than "A Shot at Love 2"?
2. "A Shot at Love 2" producers, how hard was it to come up with so many synonyms for "whore"? Betcha that thesaurus came in handy!
1. High school-aged girls, can we please watch something other than "A Shot at Love 2"?
2. "A Shot at Love 2" producers, how hard was it to come up with so many synonyms for "whore"? Betcha that thesaurus came in handy!
Monday, May 5, 2008
How would Jebus celebrate Cinco?
Get is? Shots! P.S. Arielle, I am totally using that shot glass you sent!
Well, I like to think that he'd do it up in style, even though Cinco de Mayo is really not that big of a deal in Mexico-- just inflated in the US by beer companies, just like Valentine's Day was embellished by Hallmark. Be that as it may, tonight GP and I will be enjoying some (healthy! Made with ground turkey!) soft tacos, homemade guacamole, and some margaritas (in the interest of my figure, mine will be via Hungry Girl), and then maybe some of that sweet ranchero music that we get to enjoy on a fairly regular basis, thanks to our neighbors who have no sense that there is anyone else in the world who doesn't need to hear to their music. Ah, apartment life.
Oh, and as promised, here are the Jesus sandals-- the closest this girl will ever come to Birkenstocks (these were about $15 at Ross. I am not about to pay for actual Birkenstocks, nor am I willing to consistently sport that "crunchy" look).
Coordinated
There will be a post later today about the Jesus-like sandals I am sporting today (seriously, you will see when I get around to it), but right now I have to talk about this Labor of Love weekend that I am arranging for Mother's Day. GP's parents will be here, so that means that I get to negotiate the potential in-law and my mom/stepdad situation, on a weekend that can tend to be a very "loaded" one.
Now, I will not pretend that GP's mom is in any way my mother-in-law, but the fact is that more likely than not, she will be eventually. I really enjoy her, and she has always been very sweet and generous with me, so I know I could be doing a lot worse in that department. My mom and I are also close; she and my stepdad live within 15 minutes of us, and we often have Sunday dinners with them. What I am worried about is the degree of competition that could erupt during this weekend between the two moms-- I am having to walk the line that says, "I appreciate you, [GP's mom], but mom, you are really the best," but in a way that doesn't pit them against each other in the Mother of the Year race. Because GP is much less "into" Mother's Day than I am, I will be putting together "Queen For a Day" weekend-y gift bags for both moms, complete with cards, wine-tasting itineraries, and assorted small gifts. True, we are paying for the brunch that we'll be having Sunday morning, but I think they will appreciate the bags and the sentiment behind them.
How do married women deal with this? I am sweating bullets in my air-conditioned office, trying to decide what separate-but-equal gifts I can put in these bags, and how to balance the Mother's Day merriment so that everyone has a good time. I may be overanalyzing and worrying too much-- after all, we will be wine tasting. How bad can it be?
If you have any advice about the two-mom/family Mother's Day juggling act (or just want to tell me to stop worrying or at least just shut up about it), leave it in the comments!
Now, I will not pretend that GP's mom is in any way my mother-in-law, but the fact is that more likely than not, she will be eventually. I really enjoy her, and she has always been very sweet and generous with me, so I know I could be doing a lot worse in that department. My mom and I are also close; she and my stepdad live within 15 minutes of us, and we often have Sunday dinners with them. What I am worried about is the degree of competition that could erupt during this weekend between the two moms-- I am having to walk the line that says, "I appreciate you, [GP's mom], but mom, you are really the best," but in a way that doesn't pit them against each other in the Mother of the Year race. Because GP is much less "into" Mother's Day than I am, I will be putting together "Queen For a Day" weekend-y gift bags for both moms, complete with cards, wine-tasting itineraries, and assorted small gifts. True, we are paying for the brunch that we'll be having Sunday morning, but I think they will appreciate the bags and the sentiment behind them.
How do married women deal with this? I am sweating bullets in my air-conditioned office, trying to decide what separate-but-equal gifts I can put in these bags, and how to balance the Mother's Day merriment so that everyone has a good time. I may be overanalyzing and worrying too much-- after all, we will be wine tasting. How bad can it be?
If you have any advice about the two-mom/family Mother's Day juggling act (or just want to tell me to stop worrying or at least just shut up about it), leave it in the comments!
Friday, May 2, 2008
I went to the library on Tuesday
Overheard this evening, in our living room...
Me: That's my book about a brothel.
GP: Oh yeah? Are there pictures in it?
[GP flips through the book, disappointed to find nothing but text]
GP: Awwwwwwww.
Me: That's my book about a brothel.
GP: Oh yeah? Are there pictures in it?
[GP flips through the book, disappointed to find nothing but text]
GP: Awwwwwwww.
Day 4: Back to Atlanta and departure
We awoke fairly early in Athens on the last day of our Trip of Northern Aggression, still sleepy but anxious to get back on the road to Atlanta, where we would spend the afternoon before heading to the airport and back home. After some coffee and truly enormous muffins, we left our gracious hosts (who, rather than attempting to steal our bed, like certain people at the beach house, were nice enough to offer their own) and got back on the well-maintained highway back to the city. About two hours after that, we arrived downtown, where GP swapped me for his friend (the guy whose apartment we stayed in the first two nights), and they headed off to Six Flags Over Georgia (card-carrying coaster enthusiasts that they are) while I was left with the friend's girlfriend. She had constructed a list of possible activities for us (so thoughtful! we definitely had a great time), from the High Museum to the Mitchell House, but of course I opted for walking around and shopping in Decatur.
Being the Californian that I am, I was definitely thrown off by the temperature/rain combination during this thunderstormy day-- people, it is supposed to be cold when it's raining! That's how it works. Anyway, we wandered in and out of a lot of cool, eclectic shops, sometimes because we were actually interested, and others just to get out of a downpour. While we were waiting for a table to open up at the diner where we had lunch, we went into this store where I know I've seen portions of Good Eats filmed. I kept hoping to run into Alton Brown, so I could talk to him about whisks and probe thermometers, because I am fun and he is crazy smart. Lunch was delicious-- I had what amounted to eggs Benedict, except the entire thing sat atop a slice of challah (holla!) and was covered in a parmesan-y sauce, rather than hollandaise. Stuffed to the brim, we headed over to Atlantic Station for a bit more shopping, and then back to the apartment to meet up with the boys and get me ready to go.
The trip ends with GP and I bidding our Atlanta hosts and the South in general a sad goodbye, hopping on MARTA back to the airport, and boarding a Delta flight back to SFO, during which I was the trivia master. Took a few days to get used to not being on EDT, but finally this morning I managed to "sleep in" until 7am. Niiiice.
Just think...there are less than two months until we go to Paris!
Being the Californian that I am, I was definitely thrown off by the temperature/rain combination during this thunderstormy day-- people, it is supposed to be cold when it's raining! That's how it works. Anyway, we wandered in and out of a lot of cool, eclectic shops, sometimes because we were actually interested, and others just to get out of a downpour. While we were waiting for a table to open up at the diner where we had lunch, we went into this store where I know I've seen portions of Good Eats filmed. I kept hoping to run into Alton Brown, so I could talk to him about whisks and probe thermometers, because I am fun and he is crazy smart. Lunch was delicious-- I had what amounted to eggs Benedict, except the entire thing sat atop a slice of challah (holla!) and was covered in a parmesan-y sauce, rather than hollandaise. Stuffed to the brim, we headed over to Atlantic Station for a bit more shopping, and then back to the apartment to meet up with the boys and get me ready to go.
The trip ends with GP and I bidding our Atlanta hosts and the South in general a sad goodbye, hopping on MARTA back to the airport, and boarding a Delta flight back to SFO, during which I was the trivia master. Took a few days to get used to not being on EDT, but finally this morning I managed to "sleep in" until 7am. Niiiice.
Just think...there are less than two months until we go to Paris!
About damn time
It's Friday! How can I resist...
1. Two of my favorite ingredients in a drink are gin and tonic! (Duh)
2. That the work week can seem so simultaneously long and brief often amazes me.
3. You can keep doing that forever, the dog is never going to learn to mix a dry martini.
4. Pull marginally clean jeans from the closet, add a shirt without checking to see what color it is, add some reliable shoes and jewelry, mix it all together and voila! You have my outfit today! (Honestly, for having such a lackadaisical approach to dressing myself today, I think I did fairly well)
5. If I had a yard with a garden, I would love to grow lemons, limes, and an obscene amount of brightly-colored dahlias.
6. Lip balm is best au naturel. I am so bad about constantly licking it off that I worry about all those parabens floating around in my body. Is that a thing, parabens?
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to reading for pleasure and catching up with Tivo, tomorrow my plans include a good long grocery-shop and a bit more reading (I've been craving a great book recently), and Sunday, I want to eat something delicious for dinner with my family! I am willing to provide dessert, of course.
1. Two of my favorite ingredients in a drink are gin and tonic! (Duh)
2. That the work week can seem so simultaneously long and brief often amazes me.
3. You can keep doing that forever, the dog is never going to learn to mix a dry martini.
4. Pull marginally clean jeans from the closet, add a shirt without checking to see what color it is, add some reliable shoes and jewelry, mix it all together and voila! You have my outfit today! (Honestly, for having such a lackadaisical approach to dressing myself today, I think I did fairly well)
5. If I had a yard with a garden, I would love to grow lemons, limes, and an obscene amount of brightly-colored dahlias.
6. Lip balm is best au naturel. I am so bad about constantly licking it off that I worry about all those parabens floating around in my body. Is that a thing, parabens?
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to reading for pleasure and catching up with Tivo, tomorrow my plans include a good long grocery-shop and a bit more reading (I've been craving a great book recently), and Sunday, I want to eat something delicious for dinner with my family! I am willing to provide dessert, of course.
Made
While I was away on that one trip (whose final chapter will be told today, promise!), the lovely EP over at Stylish Handwriting (one of my guest bloggers, no less!) gifted me with this:
(Is that a proper usage of "gifted," as a verb? Anyone? RA?) Awww, shucks. Thanks so much! In honor of my southern belle of a brain-twin, I will now pass this on (as is the tradition, no? This is so a blogger chain-letter thing, but much nicer) to the following bloggers who bring a smile to my face just about every day...
Nicole Antoinette of More is Better, of whom I am jealous because she gets to go to Vegas this weekend.
Rachel Elizabeth of Confessions of a Jersey Girl, the fabulous organizer of the recent bloggy-friend swap.
Michelle of Michelle and the City, a fellow ghetto-booty owner, to whom I have a feeling I previously gave some award, but love enough to double up.
Laurel from Sass Attack, who recently took a trip to my side of the country and had so many nice things to say about it! Also, I am in love with her blog, and jealous of her running abilities.
Molly, of These Little Moments, whose wedding plans I love to read about on a daily basis, and who is possibly even more interested in shoes than I am. (Sorry, Molly, I totally confused you with another bride-to-be! I love your Shoeru posts!)
Foxy, over at Strugglepants, who recently had a birthday. Consider this my belated gift to you-- see, the celebration just goes on and on!
All right ladies, get out there and spread the good word-- blogs don't just award themselves, you know...
(Is that a proper usage of "gifted," as a verb? Anyone? RA?) Awww, shucks. Thanks so much! In honor of my southern belle of a brain-twin, I will now pass this on (as is the tradition, no? This is so a blogger chain-letter thing, but much nicer) to the following bloggers who bring a smile to my face just about every day...
Nicole Antoinette of More is Better, of whom I am jealous because she gets to go to Vegas this weekend.
Rachel Elizabeth of Confessions of a Jersey Girl, the fabulous organizer of the recent bloggy-friend swap.
Michelle of Michelle and the City, a fellow ghetto-booty owner, to whom I have a feeling I previously gave some award, but love enough to double up.
Laurel from Sass Attack, who recently took a trip to my side of the country and had so many nice things to say about it! Also, I am in love with her blog, and jealous of her running abilities.
Molly, of These Little Moments, whose wedding plans I love to read about on a daily basis, and who is possibly even more interested in shoes than I am. (Sorry, Molly, I totally confused you with another bride-to-be! I love your Shoeru posts!)
Foxy, over at Strugglepants, who recently had a birthday. Consider this my belated gift to you-- see, the celebration just goes on and on!
All right ladies, get out there and spread the good word-- blogs don't just award themselves, you know...
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Hell yes.
So, it's official: Arielle is a better bloggy-swap partner than I, as I received all of my sweet NYC stuff on the very day that the California paraphernalia was shipped off to the East Coast (P.S. It will be there Monday! Thanks, FedEx). Among the treasures are a pair of mesh mules, which I swear I owned in college, when I was even poorer than I am now.
This is kind of a cankle-y picture, I know, but I wanted to capture the true majesty of those sequins! Since work is notoriously lax about dress code, I may just sport these puppies to the office tomorrow...
There will, of course, be a full photo showcase of all the things I received today...but you know adorable shoes are the priority.
This is kind of a cankle-y picture, I know, but I wanted to capture the true majesty of those sequins! Since work is notoriously lax about dress code, I may just sport these puppies to the office tomorrow...
There will, of course, be a full photo showcase of all the things I received today...but you know adorable shoes are the priority.
What I did on my Thursday evening
A thing you need to know about me is that I use my cooking skills, primarily baking, to get people to like me. You'd be surprised at how many people can be won over with a single batch of oatmeal raisin cookies-- I am that good. Also, modesty. I'm good at that.
Anyway. A pineapple arrived in the mail today at work. Yes, you read that correctly-- a pineapple. At the office. In a box, shrouded with packing foam. From Harry and David, as part of a fruit subscription that one of our clients bought us for Christmas; I think the pineapple was supplementary because we had already gotten our allotted fruit (plums) for the month. Although we have knives and cutting boards in our "kitchen" in the office, I wasn't feeling quite like dismembering a pineapple, and my boss suggested I take it home and "make something delicious" with it.
And so, hoping to make him like me, just a little bit (the man is so hard to read, it's really insane), I suggested that I would make a pineapple upside-down cake. Because what else am I going to do with a pineapple? That I've never attempted upside-down cake-making wasn't even an issue here: I like a good challenge, and with the help of Epicurious, I was soon armed with the know-how and ready to get to business.
First, dismemberment. I vaguely remembered watching at least one Food Network show about the proper way to do this, but mostly, I improvised.
With the tough skin and core thus dispatched, I made quick work of what amounted to a large bowlful of pineapple chunks (bonus: there are totally some left over for snacking!).
The cake mix itself is a fairly simple affair, with the usual creaming method of butter and sugar, then adding milk and dry ingredients in alternate batches. With everything layered-- the pineapples studding the bottom of the pan, which had been covered with a brown sugar/butter mixture (hey, cake is not healthy, ok?), then the batter poured over the top, we were ready to bake.
After about 45 or so minutes of baking time, the tester that pierced the bottom (soon to be the top!) of the cake came out clean, and it was ready to emerge from the oven. With a bit of cooling, the cake came very easily out of the pan, and thus became an upside-down cake (note the absence of maraschino cherries-- they do not belong in baked goods! Only cocktails). Think this will curry some favor with the bossman? I mean, even if it doesn't work, at least I will get to have some cake.
And now, friends, I am off to catch up on The Office and 30 Rock-- I missed last week because of the Braves. Thaaaaanks, Chipper Jones.
Anyway. A pineapple arrived in the mail today at work. Yes, you read that correctly-- a pineapple. At the office. In a box, shrouded with packing foam. From Harry and David, as part of a fruit subscription that one of our clients bought us for Christmas; I think the pineapple was supplementary because we had already gotten our allotted fruit (plums) for the month. Although we have knives and cutting boards in our "kitchen" in the office, I wasn't feeling quite like dismembering a pineapple, and my boss suggested I take it home and "make something delicious" with it.
And so, hoping to make him like me, just a little bit (the man is so hard to read, it's really insane), I suggested that I would make a pineapple upside-down cake. Because what else am I going to do with a pineapple? That I've never attempted upside-down cake-making wasn't even an issue here: I like a good challenge, and with the help of Epicurious, I was soon armed with the know-how and ready to get to business.
First, dismemberment. I vaguely remembered watching at least one Food Network show about the proper way to do this, but mostly, I improvised.
With the tough skin and core thus dispatched, I made quick work of what amounted to a large bowlful of pineapple chunks (bonus: there are totally some left over for snacking!).
The cake mix itself is a fairly simple affair, with the usual creaming method of butter and sugar, then adding milk and dry ingredients in alternate batches. With everything layered-- the pineapples studding the bottom of the pan, which had been covered with a brown sugar/butter mixture (hey, cake is not healthy, ok?), then the batter poured over the top, we were ready to bake.
After about 45 or so minutes of baking time, the tester that pierced the bottom (soon to be the top!) of the cake came out clean, and it was ready to emerge from the oven. With a bit of cooling, the cake came very easily out of the pan, and thus became an upside-down cake (note the absence of maraschino cherries-- they do not belong in baked goods! Only cocktails). Think this will curry some favor with the bossman? I mean, even if it doesn't work, at least I will get to have some cake.
And now, friends, I am off to catch up on The Office and 30 Rock-- I missed last week because of the Braves. Thaaaaanks, Chipper Jones.
Day 3: Charleston Throwdown, Beach, and Athens
Sorry to leave you hanging for all of those 24 hours, but I wanted to let the drama of the bedroom thievery fully sink in. At this point in the evening, GP and I were both pretty wiped (remember that 5+ hour drive that we had done that morning from Atlanta? Yeah. It was long.), and I had been drinking enough Jim Beam and ginger ale to be a little feisty. GP, being the better grownup of the two of us, headed to the bedroom to resolve the conflict-- apparently there had been some miscommunication, or at the very least a bit of a misunderstanding. The misunderstanding being that it would be the appropriate thing to do, to leave the out-of-towners to fend for themselves when certain others had just driven out to the beach from Charleston. Southern hospitality? I was thinking, Well, I guess she is from Massachusetts.
To make what seemed like an arduous ten-minute period seem shorter, I will simply tell you that a phone call was placed (to the groom, no less!) and we ended up sleeping in a luxurious king-sized bed. Because, bitch, please. There is no freaking way I am giving up a bed after having traveled across the country. Just sayin'.
The next morning, though, I think everyone was helped by the full night of sleep, and we semi-bonded over breakfast and then headed out to the beach. Being a completely insecure individual, I ended up going to the beach fully clothed, despite having brought my new Old Navy tankini. Hey, I didn't know these people, and there was no way my white ass was going to be showing up at the beach, all jiggly-like. At any rate, we got to hang out for a couple hours, playing bocce, taking a walk, and enjoying being in/near the ocean in general (not exactly a novelty, but definitely different than when we go to Santa Cruz).
After some de-sanding, it was back on the road-- this time to Athens, where a guy that GP's been friends with since kindergarten and his wife live while she/they are going to grad school (she's in vet school, he's starting a PhD in the fall) at UGA. I had no idea what to expect of Athens, given my very limited exposure to parts of Georgia that aren't Atlanta, but I knew that it would definitely be less urban. Turns out, I was right. During the ride out, we went through my Very First Southern Thunderstorms (I'm not gonna lie, it was a little scary), and stopped at my Very First Really, Really Backwoods-y Southern Gas Station to use the restroom (likewise). We were greeted by the couple and their two dogs (yay, pets! There were also two cats and an iguana), and hung out awhile before heading out to dinner.
Dinner was delicious, at a nicer version of Olive Garden, complete with some prom kids (awww!) and a crap-ton of wine and desserts (though the waiter did seem a little perplexed at GP's request for some after-dinner port). As a thank-you for dinner, we stopped by the Kroger and bought them some nice California wine...because we are snobs. Seriously, we spent so much time at dinner talking about how wonderful it is to live in California that I think we should be able to draw some sort of salary from the tourism people here. Really, it's just a ploy to get people to visit us, because we love to entertain and show off our great sushi place, and our two (yes, two) luxurious fold-out couches. So, seriously, come on over! We are so fun.
Because we are old and lame, we ended up not going into downtown, where all the bars/clubs/hoopla was happening, but we did get to go back to their newly-purchased home and talk about mortgages and great grownup stuff like that. So as to avoid having us share a room with the iguana (who I am told is a night-snacker), they were kind enough to lend us their bedroom, where we promptly passed out, tired from all the 401(K) talk.
That was our last night in Georgia! But there is still a bit to tell, what with our Sunday flight not departing until almost 7pm. Stay tuned for the final chapter in The Trip of Northern Aggression...
To make what seemed like an arduous ten-minute period seem shorter, I will simply tell you that a phone call was placed (to the groom, no less!) and we ended up sleeping in a luxurious king-sized bed. Because, bitch, please. There is no freaking way I am giving up a bed after having traveled across the country. Just sayin'.
The next morning, though, I think everyone was helped by the full night of sleep, and we semi-bonded over breakfast and then headed out to the beach. Being a completely insecure individual, I ended up going to the beach fully clothed, despite having brought my new Old Navy tankini. Hey, I didn't know these people, and there was no way my white ass was going to be showing up at the beach, all jiggly-like. At any rate, we got to hang out for a couple hours, playing bocce, taking a walk, and enjoying being in/near the ocean in general (not exactly a novelty, but definitely different than when we go to Santa Cruz).
After some de-sanding, it was back on the road-- this time to Athens, where a guy that GP's been friends with since kindergarten and his wife live while she/they are going to grad school (she's in vet school, he's starting a PhD in the fall) at UGA. I had no idea what to expect of Athens, given my very limited exposure to parts of Georgia that aren't Atlanta, but I knew that it would definitely be less urban. Turns out, I was right. During the ride out, we went through my Very First Southern Thunderstorms (I'm not gonna lie, it was a little scary), and stopped at my Very First Really, Really Backwoods-y Southern Gas Station to use the restroom (likewise). We were greeted by the couple and their two dogs (yay, pets! There were also two cats and an iguana), and hung out awhile before heading out to dinner.
Dinner was delicious, at a nicer version of Olive Garden, complete with some prom kids (awww!) and a crap-ton of wine and desserts (though the waiter did seem a little perplexed at GP's request for some after-dinner port). As a thank-you for dinner, we stopped by the Kroger and bought them some nice California wine...because we are snobs. Seriously, we spent so much time at dinner talking about how wonderful it is to live in California that I think we should be able to draw some sort of salary from the tourism people here. Really, it's just a ploy to get people to visit us, because we love to entertain and show off our great sushi place, and our two (yes, two) luxurious fold-out couches. So, seriously, come on over! We are so fun.
Because we are old and lame, we ended up not going into downtown, where all the bars/clubs/hoopla was happening, but we did get to go back to their newly-purchased home and talk about mortgages and great grownup stuff like that. So as to avoid having us share a room with the iguana (who I am told is a night-snacker), they were kind enough to lend us their bedroom, where we promptly passed out, tired from all the 401(K) talk.
That was our last night in Georgia! But there is still a bit to tell, what with our Sunday flight not departing until almost 7pm. Stay tuned for the final chapter in The Trip of Northern Aggression...
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