I slacked, big time!

This blog seems to have turned in to a place for me to apologize for not writing.
I know i've said it before but I really do enjoy writing and hopefully I can pick up where I left of a long long time ago.

Happy 2009!

Some random updates; in November the bf and I broke up. It was pretty mutual and one of the easiest breakups I've had. I enjoyed getting to know him but am pretty happy on my own. The holiday's were great, although a bit of a blur. I ended up sick for New Years and then off to Baltimore on a work trip right after. Things are finally slowing down and i'm working on my "embrace CT" phase.

Speaking of CT, I guess I never really gave it a chance. Less than two months after moving up here I had a boyfriend in NY (not to mention family and friends down there as well). Almost every weekend was spent back in NY. NY was familiar, CT was new and a bit lonely. Unfortunately that scenario lasted almost a year and a half. Yes there were some signs that things needed to change but I just didn't see them, or didn't want to.

But with the breakup in November came my opportunity to really accept that my life for now is in CT.

I've made excellent progress. I have friends! I have a bit of a social life and have even gone on a few dates. I'm considering buying a condo up here. I'm embracing CT and so far it's hugging me back.

Yes I miss NY and my friends and family but this is the hand I have right now so why not make the best of it?

the end of the era

I slacked. It's been more than a month and a half since my last post.
I guess because I doubt anyone reads this I don't feel pressure to post. But, I enjoy writing and for that reason am going to start up with this again. I'll aim for once a week and we'll see what happens.

So it's the end of an era. The Yankees played their last home game at Yankee Stadium last night. It was bittersweet. The house that Ruth built holds so many memories but ideally we are going on to bigger and better (and more expensive).

I was lucky enough to be at the stadium on Friday night. It was a great game (they won) but when the game ended no one left. That's when it hit me. I didn't think I'd be emotional or even care that much but when the fans were lingering I realized that I cared more than I thought. We lingered as well and took tons of pictures. It was likely the last time I'd step foot in that stadium.

The broadcast of the game last night was great. Pre-game they had a sort of old-timer's celebration. Post-game Jeter made a great speech thanking the fans. The players walked around the field waving to the fans. It was touching. It was nice to know that even with all these crazy salaries these are real people and they do appreciate the fans. It was a great ending to the era!

Hmmmm

Well, it looks like my last post was June 30th. Interesting that today is August 5th. That's a long time for me to be quiet.

Here are the highlights of the past month plus:

• Happy 4th of July (went to the Yankees game)
• Went to Eleven Madison Park for dinner (yum!)
• Went on a kick ass vacation (Italy, Greece, Turkey and Croatia)
• Was away for my bf's bday (sad face)
• Got a new cell phone (exciting, I know)
• Had off from work on August 1
• Had dinner with the fam, bf and grandparents

So as you can see, it's just been excitement non stop. I'll write more about the notable bullets at another time (i.e. the vaca).

Welcome back to me!

Accountability

The thought is that if you are held accountable for your actions you may behave differently. If you have someone to answer to, is it more likely that you'll actually do what you say?

I'm testing this theory.

I've told a few people that I'm going to try going to the gym in the mornings. One person asked me "Why?" and another told me that it was a great idea but he didn't think I could hack it. My goal by making this public was that I'd have people to answer to, people who would want to know if I did what I said I would. Instead I got non-believers, which gave me another goal of proving them wrong.

So far I'm batting 1000. Granted, it's only been one day. We'll see how it goes. More to come.

Long Time No Blog

I can't say I've been busy (at work at least) but rather I guess I've been preoccupied and boring at the same time, which is why I've let the blog that no one reads slide.

But, I'm back and wanted to share a recipe that I made last night.

Blueberries were on sale this week and Fine Cooking had a great looking recipe so I gave it a try. They're pretty tasty and weren't too difficult.

If you make them, let me know what you think.

Blueberry Streusel Bars with Lemon-Cream Filling

Ingredients
1 cup unsalted butter, softened; more for the pan

3 cups all-purpose flour

1-1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats (not quick oats)

1-1/3 cups packed light brown sugar

1 tsp. table salt

1 tsp. baking powder

1 large egg, separated

14-oz. can sweetened condensed milk

1/2 cup fresh lemon juice

2 tsp. grated lemon zest

2-1/2 cups room-temperature blueberries, washed and drained on paper towels

Directions
Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 350°F. Line a 9x13-inch metal baking pan with foil, leaving a 1-inch overhang on the ends. Lightly butter the bottom and sides of the foil.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, oats, sugar, salt, and baking powder. Using your fingers, blend the butter completely into the flour mixture. Transfer 2 cups of crumb mixture to another bowl and reserve for the topping. Blend the egg white into the remaining crumbs and then press the mixture into the bottom of the pan to form a level crust. You can tamp it with the bottom of a measuring cup to even it out. Bake the crust until it starts to form a dry top, 10 to 12 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk the condensed milk, lemon juice, lemon zest, and egg yolk. Let this mixture stand for 5 minutes; it will begin to thicken.

Sprinkle the blueberries evenly over the hot crust and then drop spoonfuls of the lemon mixture over the blueberries. Spread gently with a spatula to distribute a little more evenly, but take care not to crush the berries; it’s fine if the lemon mixture isn’t perfectly even. Bake until the lemon mixture just begins to form a shiny skin, 7 to 8 minutes.

Sprinkle the reserved topping over the lemon-blueberry layer, pressing the streusel between your fingers into small lumps as you sprinkle. Bake until the filling is bubbling at the edges and the topping is brown, 25 to 30 minutes.

Let the bars cool in the pan on a rack until just warm, about an hour. Carefully lift them out of the pan using the foil overhang and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Remove the foil and cut into 24 bars when cool. The bars may be stored at room temperature for a few hours but otherwise should be kept in the refrigerator.

Back

I'm about to finish up my first post-vacation work week and I feel like it's been the week that lasted forever.

I'm sure I'm not alone in this feeling, but I HATE HATE HATE coming back from a vacation. Sunday night I was disgusted with the thought of having to return. Not good.

Complaining about the present aside, the vacation was great. We had a minor issue with check-in but otherwise everything was smooth as satin.

The weather wasn't perfect but I'll take cloudy in the Caribbean over sunny and at work any day.

We ate, drank, relaxed, swam, sunned ourselves, bowled, played pool, ate, ate and ate. It was relaxing and the company was great. Have I mentioned that I'm not enjoying being back?

TTFN (lame, I know)

It's the Friday before Memorial Day. As of 5pm I'm officially on vacation!

I'm excited and thrilled, but I'm also STRESSED. What's that about?
Seriously, I haven't been sleeping. I can't fall asleep and if I do, I wake up stressing about something that has nothing to do with me. I toss and turn and then finally catch some zzz's right as my alarm is going off. Strange thing is, I'm not really tired. Given that, stress is the only logical answer.

I think it's the stress of getting everything organized pre-trip. I've got a weekend trip to the Jersey Shore to plan for and then immediately after, my vacation. So, I'm really packing for two things at once. Packing stresses me out to begin with, so this isn't helping. I'm very much afraid of forgetting that key thing that can't be bought or replaced. I've got lists up the wazoo and have spelled out every packing scenario. It's not pretty, but it's how I roll.

But, the end is near. In three hours I expect the stress to just flee from my body. Yeah right.

Stress aside, have a fun and safe memorial day weekend and I'll be in touch post-vaca.