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.

One week!

So it's been a little while since I've posted. A) I haven't had much to say and B) I don't really think anyone is reading this anyway.

But here I am. I may just be wasting time at work, but that's OK.

My long-awaited vacation is only one week away! In that time I've got a bunch of things to take care of as well as a bachelorette party to attend. It's going to be quite the weekend/week and I CAN NOT WAIT!

I'm excited to leave work behind...FAR behind. My goal is to not talk or even think about that dreaded "w" word. As someone pointed out, I won't even say "the TV doesn't work", I'll go with "the TV is broken" or "the TV doesn't seem to be functioning". Yes, it's that extreme. But isn't that the point of a vacation?

Ex

I was playing around on myspace the other day (busy day at work) and came across my ex. I was kind of curious as to what he had been up to (although more so about how he looked because he had gone kind of downhill at the end of our relationship), so I took a look.
Turns out he's married and has been for almost two years. Crazy!
He had wedding pictures on his page, which as someone pointed out is a very girl like thing to do.
So yes, it was weird to see. But it also made me very happy that I wasn't the one in the white dress. I'm happy for him, but happier for me!
And in case you were wondering, he looked exactly the same as four years ago (or however long it was) but maybe a little heavier. And, I'm definitely better looking than his wife. Now I'm being catty. :)
I guess no matter how un-interested you are in the person, it's still going to be a little odd to see where there life has gone. Right?

17 Days

Back when we booked our vacation we had over 90 days to wait. I'm happy to say that we're finally down to 17!



In preparation for bathing suit time, i've put myself on a somewhat strict diet and have been vigilant about getting to the gym. See picture above for my motivation.


I also started tanning in preparation for the DR sun. I know it's horrible, but I just feel so much better when I'm not pale white.


But back to the gym for a moment...I'm happy to say that i've broken the 3 mile mark (3 times in a row!). I'm psyched and amazed at how it really isn't as hard as I thought. Granted I'm slow, but still. I've also been impressed with how much I'm able to push myself.

Last night for example, I didn't think I'd make it past a mile. Then I pushed myself to 2 and then somehow kept pushing and made it to 3.1. I probably could have gone a little farther, but my body was TIRED! But I'm excited.

I am so ready for a vacation! I haven't been on an official long vacation in about two years and that is way TOO long. Never again! I had time off around the holiday's, but to me taking time off to do nothing is not as redeeming as going somewhere special.

I've actually got another vacation coming up in two months. Crazy, right?

Eh

Do you ever feel just "eh"?

I can't really explain it because it's subtle, but things just seem a little off. I'm not unhappy, but I'm also not busting at the seams with happiness. I think its times like this that my "What's Next" mentality comes back in to the picture.

I really don't have anything to complain about, yet I also don't have anything (besides upcoming vacations) that I'm really excited/happy about. I get up every morning, go to work, go the gym after work and then go home. While I'm happy with the routine, it's definitely not exciting and I can't say I really look forward to each day. However, there's not much I can do to change this routine, so I guess it's up to the weekends to inspire me.

The weekends are great, I'm happy to not be at work, but again, they're not very exciting. I'm usually pretty tired from the week so the weekends end up being a little lazy. Again, there's nothing wrong with this situation, I just think I need something new. Maybe.

Does this mean it's time for a change? A big change? A little change?

I'm not sure what it means, but the wheels are starting to turn.

10 Things That Make Me Happy

It's Friday and the weather is gorgeous, so I thought I should keep things upbeat and positive.
Happy friday!

10 Things (some trivial) That Make Me Happy
(in no particular order)

friends and family
springtime
vacations
dessert
working out
the weekend
dogs
tv
sleeping in
sunshine

I bought myself flowers

I guess the title says it all.

Work has been a pretty tense place lately and while looking through a Stop and Shop flyer, I came across tulips, and just had to have them.

I picked up a bunch of beautiful purple tulips (similar to the ones to the left). I threw them in a plain vase and have them sitting immediately to the left of my monitor.

I must say, it is making a huge difference.

Looking at these sunny, pretty flowers makes everything seem a bit more cheerful.

Of course a few people did ask me who I got flowers from, but I was proud to say I bought them myself. I think this just may become a once a month ritual.

If something so small can make me smile, why not?

Passover Delicious-ness

I don't have much to comment on today, but wanted to post a recipe that is the hit of the Passover Seder's. This recipe is so tasty that no one will even know that they are Passover-friendly, but it will surely wow your Jewish friends when you tell them.

I've been wanting to experiment with them using flour, but haven't gotten around to it yet.

Passover Brownies
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, melted and cooled
3 eggs
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 scant cup matzoh cake meal
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
1/2 to 1 cup chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350
Lightly grease a 7 by 10-inch rectangular baking pan, a 9-inch square pan, or an 8- or 9-inch springform pan.
In a bowl, mix the sugars into the melted butter, then the eggs, cocoa powder, salt, cake meal, nuts (if used) and chips.
Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 25 minutes. Do not over-bake. The brownies should be set and seem dry to the touch, but there should not be a crust around the sides. Cool in the pan.

There's lot of frustrating/stressful crap going on in my life at the moment. Most of it is pretty trivial, but annoying none the less.


I could very easily rant about that, but quite honestly, i'd rather not devote even more time to it.



That said, I've decided to do an informal book review on here whenever I finish a book. Maybe this will be useful/interesting to people, maybe not. But it will successfully take my mind off other things, just like a good book does.

24 - Karat Kids
I found this book on the Candy Covered Books website.
This book is about a recently graduated pediatrician (Dr. Shelley Green) who ends up getting a job at an ultra-posh practice on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. The book touches on almost every aspect of her life; her family, her boyfriend, the crazy parents and kids she sees at the practice and the utter wealth had by those who live on the Upper East Side.
I finished this book in about a week and enjoyed every minute of it. The writing was solid and lighthearted. Shelley is a likeable character and it was enjoyable to experience her world.
I'd definitely recommend this book to my fellow chick-lit fans. If you're looking for a light read that will leave you smiling at the end, pick this book up.


Next up is Remember Me? by Sophie Kinsella (i've actually already finished the book through an informal book club at work, but will write about it next go round)

Spring Tease

My cold/illness, whatever it is, went all wacky on me and forced me to see a doctor. I'm now doing the z-pack thing and feeling a little better.
Given that everyone and their mother seemed to have the flu I'm hoping I escaped with it's less evil brother. Where did I get that from?

Anyway, the weather here today is GORGEOUS! I love warm weather so I was thrilled to be able to eat outside at lunch. It was lovely!
We picked up some mexican take out and had a little fiesta on the patio at our office building. Quite nice.

Unfortunately the next few days are going to be rainy, so just like my subject, it was a spring tease. I hate teases.

I am so ready for the warm weather! Vaca is in 46 days and I can not wait. Granted it will probably be warmer by then, but the escape is much needed. Can't wait!

Back to work, enough procrastinating. Happy thursday!

Looks like i'm losing the battle

Those lovely little critters to my right are GERMS! And yes, they look nice and likeable, but they're not.

It seems that these bad germs are everywhere! Everyone seemed to be getting sick, especially at work. I imposed an unofficial quarantine on myself and did everything in my power to stay away from these sick people. I fought hard for the past three weeks and it seemed I was victorious.

Until Friday happened.
I woke up with a little itch in my throat and since then it's gotten worse. I'm still fighting, but it's looking more and more like the germs have gotten in. No!!!!!!!!

So it's off to resting and drinking plenty of fluids. According to research I've found online, it's ok to work out at a "moderate" intensity if your symptoms are "above the neck" (i.e. stuffy nose, sore throat, headache). Anything more than that and rest is encouraged. I definitely fall in to that range, but I'm also tired from lack of sleep, so the jury's still out.

Keep up the hand washing folks, it's a germy world out there.

What's pissing me off today

Granted most of these are pretty trivial, but none the less...

• coworkers needing total silence to work (that shouldn't be my issue)
• the rain
• getting a coupon for a store the day after making a purchase
• forgetting my socks last night
• i need to get gas, again
• i need to get my oil changed, again
• vacation can't possibly get here fast enough
• the smell of smoke in my apartment/hallway (who the heck still smokes inside?)
• falling asleep cold and then waking up sweating
• the fact that i've been fighting the beginning of a cold for a couple of weeks now
• i want to get my hair highlighted but don't want to spend the big bucks
• my boyfriend has been away on business for way too long
• i can't walk anywhere from my apartment
• no one i know has a dog i can play with

Play Ball!

It's that time of year, baseball season is here!

(I didn't mean to rhyme)

I love baseball season and here's why I'm excited...

• the warm(er) weather is on its way


• going to games and drinking beers


• watching games on tv


• the BBQ season


• my first date with a certain someone was to a Yankees game


• the last year at Yankee Stadium is a great time for a championship (no pressure)


• Shelley Duncan


• Joe Girardi

Enough said. :)

I'm Frustrated

The running saga continues.

I did manage to hit 2.6 and then 2.65 but have been struggling recently.

On Friday I attemped to run and made it to just shy of 2 miles. However I have to say that I hadn't been feeling well all week and had a bad headache and was overall rundown. That was my excuse. I pushed myself as hard as I could and then just wanted to lie down.

Yesterday I gave it another go. I started out strong. Made it about a mile and then my shins started hurting, badly. I haven't had this problem in quite a while so I tried to work through the pain. It didn't work. I stopped to stretch my calves/shins and noticed a bump protruding from my left shin. That freaked me out a bit and told me I probably shouldn't push myself any further. So I stopped, having only made it a mile. I did however make up for it with other cardio, but the running curse seems to have its eye on me.

I can't seem to grasp why on some days I'm good and others I'm not. Granted, fighting a cold probably took its toll on my entire body. As for yesterday, I'm just not sure. I was feeling better and the only thing I can come up with is that I wore heels to work. I know that wearing heels shortens your muscles (or something like that) so I figure maybe it caused the tightness in my shins. But, I'm not sure. I'm going to test this on Wednesday (or Thursday) when I plan to wear comfy shoes to work and see how the running goes.

Does any of this sound logical to anyone? Can anyone understand where I'm coming from? Any advice? (besides stretching my calves/shins beforehand)

Friday

I've been trying to convince my boss that I just need to go to Epcot for the International Flower and Garden Show in April.

So far it hasn't worked, but in forming a strong argument, I've found some great pictures (thanks flickr) and wanted to share them.

Just some eye candy for a GRAY Friday.

Decisions

Life is made up of decisions and consequences. If you've ever seen the movie Sliding Doors, you've seen how little decisions (even subconscious) can have significant consequences. It's strange to think about how a small decision, such as stopping at a yellow light, could down the road have prevented (or caused) a car accident (just an example).

Last May I made a conscious decision to shake things up a bit. I purposely chose to leave my comfortable (yet insanely annoying/frustrating) job and move out of state for something new.

I'm of the firm belief that everything happens for a reason and we should have no regrets about the decisions we make. However, now that I've been in CT for about ten months some doubts are creeping in.

I don't doubt that I made the correct decision job wise. However, I have come to feel some regret about leaving the great comfortable life that I had in NY. Sometime I think about my old town and actually get pangs of longing in my stomach. Pangs!

Overall, I'm not a fan of Long Island. However, I happen to think that I lived in the greatest town on the island (Huntington). I lived within walking distance of everything I could ever need and after two years there had finally made some local friends. Aside from the centipedes in my apartment, I had no complaints.

My town was fun. It was a hot spot and people wanted to visit me. We could go out to lots of bars and never have to worry about driving (similar to in the city). Norwalk doesn't evoke quite the same feelings. I like my apartment and having a pool in the summer kicks ass, but I have to drive everywhere and it just isn't the same.

I've always considered myself a career driven girl, which is perhaps why I didn't think much of leaving my established life behind for something new. But now that it's been almost a year I can't help but wish for the past (although not my job of the past).

Perhaps I'm learning what so many people have learned before me, that your personal life should come first with the job in the background. I never thought like this and always tended to let my job define who I was.

Maybe the purpose of me moving to CT was to learn things about myself, in which case I guess it's been successful. But what happens when the things you learn aren't what you expected?

Not to mention, I miss my family and friends.

It's easier to apologize than ask permission.

Last week a coworker and I were driving to a conference. After some of the normal chatting and complaining about various things, he mentioned the above quote.

I had never heard it before but it stuck with me.

Especially at my job, getting the green light on anything new and different is like climbing mount everest, time consuming and dangerous and most people just give up. This quote just put a different spin on things.

I haven't used it yet, but am keeping it ready in the back of my mind.

What do you think?

Me, a runner?

If you know me, you'll likely know that running is something I have ALWAYS struggled with.

In my eyes, being a runner was the definition of being in shape. I'd see people run at the gym and be envious of them. No matter how much I worked out, no matter how in-shape I was, running was always something that eluded me.

A little over a year ago I was determined and gave it another try. I was probably in my best shape ever and felt that if not then, when. I did ok. I hit a mile last January and then slowly increased my distance, although I don't think I ever made it past 1.75 without a walking break.

Shortly after I moved to CT in June I ran 2.0 miles and was PSYCHED. Unfortunately, it never happened again. Whether it was running out of breath, stomach pains or leg pains, I just couldn't push through. I was beyond disappointed at my lack of progress so I gave up on running for a while.

While at the gym in NY a couple months ago I was feeling energetic so I gave it a go. However this time I ran at a slower speed and found that it wasn't so bad. This gave me a small boost of confidence and the motivation to try again.

Once back in CT I did just that. First I made it a mile, then I did 1.5, then 1.75 and then on Wednesday I just kept going until the pain in my side caused me to stop. I hit 2.6 miles! While I'm totally excited, i'm also nervous that I'll never be able to repeat this feat. I really hope that's not the case because my dream is to reach 3 miles and one day be able to do a 5k. We'll see.

And I think I finally got a runner's high and it was pretty darn nice.

I can only hope that this is just the beginning. I'll keep you posted.

Pearl!

I don't really have a whole lot to talk about, it's been an uneventful few days (although I suppose that's a good thing).

Here's something that ALWAYS makes me smile, the Landlord video!

If you've never seen it, go for it.

http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/74

Where's Spring?

Just a little sunshine for your Friday.

Words can't really express how ready I am for spring. Granted, i'm happy with the milder weather as of late, but I'm ready for the full-on warmth.

I was in Philadelphia on Wednesday for the Philadelphia Flower Show and took a bunch of pictures. To me, flowers equal spring.

Check them out at http://www.flickr.com/photos/24185562@N07/.

If these don't make you long for springtime, nothing will.

As seen on tv

Don't laugh, but I've really been meaning to post about this since I started this blog.

I just wanted to promote two As Seen on TV items that really are quite handy.

In an attempt to be somewhat funny/clever, I bought both of these for Joe. As it turns out, they're both quite effective and really do what they said they would.


The Clapper

Joe used to complain about having to get out of bed to turn off the light (he didn't have a light on his night stand). We would frequently joke that if he had the clapper this issue would be resolved. So thinking I was clever, I got it for him for Christmas.

For the $20 or so that it cost, it's made things so much easier. You can plug two items in and one responds to two claps, the other to three. There is a clap indicator light so you can see if your claps have "registered" on the device.

It is so easy to use and it's great to not have to get out of bed to shut the light. However, when I walk on the hardwood floors in heels, I have a tendency to inadvertently turn on the bedroom light. It's silly, but hardly a reason to not give the clapper a try.

The Handy Switch

Here's another product that would normally have me rolling my eyes at the commercial.

Like many apartments, Joe's living room has plenty of outlets, but no light switches or overhead lighting. As a result, he has two halogen lamps in the room. The problem was that you had to walk all the way in to the dark room to turn them on. Enter the Handy Switch.

According to the commercial, you could plug an item in to this outlet base and then use a remote switch to turn it on from up to 30 feet away. Joe cleverly plugged both of the lamps in to an extension cord and then plugged the extension cord in to the Handy Switch plug. From there he was able to mount the switch by the entrance to the room. Walk in, flip the switch, and light up the room. It's quite clever.

So while I do still roll my eyes at many of the As Seen on TV commercials, I have to say that some of them are actually sound ideas.

Speaking of which, has anyone seen the one for the convertible purse? While not my style, I think it's a clever idea.

Any other As Seen on TV product recommendations?

A Good Deed

Erin Zammett's Life With Cancer blog today (see link below right) mentions a woman who was recently diagnosed with leukemia. After reading a little further, I decided to click on the link for her website and learn a little more.

Once I got to her website and saw that people of eastern european descent would more likely be a match (which I am), I got to thinking.

First I thought about how painful it is to donate bone marrow (from what i've heard), but as I continued on her site I learned that often times only a blood stem cell donation is needed. Then I thought about how the possibility of a little pain on my part could have the potential to bring so much happiness to someone else. For a moment I felt selfish thinking about pain knowing what she and others go through daily.

So far I have been blessed with good health, so why not try to share that?

I ordered a test kit immediately.

Regardless of the results, I feel a little prouder knowing that I may be doing something to help someone out.

What good deeds do other people do, big or small?

Winter Wonderland?

Hello from snowy CT.

I think we got between 5-7 inches but seeing as the area by work was expecting 7+ I chose to work from home today.

My day was spent working, then shovelling, some eating, working and more shovelling. Exciting day, right?

Here's the view from my back pation and here's some of my hard work. I can take credit for all the shovelled areas and I have to say, I enjoy shovelling. Anyone else?

And since the weather still isn't great for driving, a quiet night at home spent making Oreo Balls. They're a fun little treat, so here's the recipe. Enjoy!

Oreo Balls
1 8oz package of cream cheese (at room temp)
1 package Oreo's (crushed in a food processor)
2 cups chocolate chips
1 tbsp shortening

Beat cream cheese on high until light and fluffy. Add crushed Oreo's and beat until well combined.
Refridgerate 2 hours.
Melt chocolate chips in a double boiler (or something similar) and add shortening.
Roll Oreo mixture in to balls and dip in to melted chocolate. Place on wax paper to harden. Store in fridge.

I hope everyone has a good snowy Friday!

Miley Cyrus is driving me crazy

I know, what a random post topic from someone who isn't a tween.

I don't know a ton about her, although her one song (can't think of the name) is very catchy, but she's kind of been bugging me lately.
I've caught a few clips of interviews with her on the radio and have to say that i'm kind of annoyed with how she manages to bring religion in to everything.
I respect her values and how she's saving herself (blah blah blah) but don't see why she needs to quote scripture and refer to a higher power all the darn time.
Obviously i'm not a religious person. Religion is not what I have issue with, but people "pushing" their religion makes me nuts. I just don't want to hear it.
Quite honestly, as a Jew, if I had kids, i'm not sure i'd want them to get too in to her as her Christianity is very in your face.

If anyone is reading this blog (which I highly doubt) this would be the post that could open me up to many comments (good and bad). But in the true spirit of blogging, this was on my mind, so I shared.

A Nice Long Weekend

So my uneventful Valentine's Day became somewhat more interesting as the night wore on.
I went to the gym after work only to find that due to lack of people, my spin class wouldn't be happening. I did a quick workout and then headed home.

Once home I called Joe (my out of state boyfriend) who was playing poker. I left him a vm and he called me back about 10 minutes later. We made some small talk and then he asked if I had received a package today. Ah ha, so he did do something for Valentine's day. But I hadn't, so I told him no. He said his proof of delivery said they left it outside my front door. So began the hunt for the package. I checked both the inside closets (just in case) and then headed out in to the cold. When I opened the door, Joe was standing there, and he had brought home made heart shaped chocolate chip cookies!

Even better, he took off Friday so we got to spend some extra time together.

That was the relaxing idealistic part of the weekend. Then we decided that we should really paint his apartment over the weekend. It seemed like a great idea (and maybe even fun) at the moment.

Friday we drove down to NY (in seperate cars). I made a detour to pick up his v-day present (a 90 minute massage from a place in Astoria he wanted to try) and then we spent the afternoon gathering the supplies. We did a nice dinner at a great restaurant Trattoria L'Incontro (http://www.trattorialincontro.com/) and called it a night.

Saturday the true fun began. Unfortunately the whole process took way longer than anticipated and wasn't quite as fun as I had planned for. It took about five hours to just prime everything. We went to bed around 3am and by that time had done half of the living room and one coat in the dining room. Sunday was another busy day, but we finished around 7. Phew.
I'll post some pictures so you can see the drastic before and after.
And just so you know, never believe the claim that you'll just need one coat!

Monday was spent with my parents and was a nice time. And now it's Tuesday and the days off are a thing of the past.

Anyone have any good v-day stories? or painting stories?

Happy Heart Day

I chose red in honor of the (kind of lame) holiday.

Happy Valentines Day!

Anyone doing anything special? Not me. Although I did give myself permission to eat a bigger lunch and have dessert, so I guess that is pretty special. Exciting, right?

I have four pieces of candy sitting on my desk (courtesy of sweet co-workers) and am happy to say that I'm really not interested in eating any of them. If that's not progress, what is? But then again, candy doesn't talk to me the way baked goods do.

Oh yes, happy birthday to becca and my grandmother!

So yeah, I've got nothing today. Have a happy 14th!

Rainy Wednesday

It has seriously been POURING the entire day. It's gloomy, gray and dismal. Days like this seem to just have the word headache written all over them.

In light of the bad weather, I figured I'd post something that evokes thoughts of getting cozy on the couch.

Here's a recipe that i'm currently obsessed with, although it's rare that I actually have the time to make them, but they are AWESOME!


RUGELACH (have to thank the Barefoot Contessa for this one)

You'll need a good mixer (i.e. a Kitchenaid), a rolling pin and some patience.

8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2-pound unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/4 cup granulated sugar plus 9 tablespoons
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3/4 cup raisins
1 cup walnuts, finely chopped
1/2 cup apricot (or your choice of flavor) preserves, pureed in a food processor (or mixed rigorously)
1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon milk, for egg wash

Cream the cheese and butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until light. Add 1/4 cup granulated sugar, the salt, and vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour and mix until just combined. Dump the dough out onto a well-floured board and roll it into a ball. Cut the ball in quarters, wrap each piece in plastic, and refrigerate for 1 hour.

To make the filling, combine 6 tablespoons of granulated sugar, the brown sugar, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, the rainsis and walnuts. On a well-floured board, roll each ball of dough into a 9-inch circle. Spread the dough with 2 tablespoons apricot preserves and sprinkle with 1/2 cup of the filling. Press the filling lightly into the dough. Cut the circle into 12 equal wedges--cutting the whole circle in quarters, then each quarter into thirds. Starting with the wide edge, roll up each wedge. Place the cookies, points tucked under, on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Chill for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Brush each cookie with the egg wash. Combine 3 tablespoons granulated sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon and sprinkle on the cookies. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until lightly browned. Remove to a wire rack and let cool.

If you make these, please think of me when you're enjoying their delicious-ness.

Let's get things started

I'm not really sure where I'll go with this blog just yet, but wanted to get the ball rolling in hopes that inspiration for a topic will follow.

My goals for this blog are to keep readers (if there are any) current on my life and my random thoughts as well as share useful information, spark conversations and make people laugh/smile whenever possible.

Here's something to ponder:
Would you rather fight Mike Tyson or talk like him?
(silly, I know, but it should get the brain waves going)