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.
Friday, May 2, 2008
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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