(146/365) Marshmallow Hugs!

I put marshmallows in my cupcakes, but not these! These babies, I ruv! Since they're sold at Whole Foods, you know these babies were made for luxury, not to be chomped down speedily.

(145/365) Easter Cupcake Hunt!

I know you've been waiting for these. Found one! I'll post more after I finish my dailies!

(144/365) The Sweet Spot

Tom Colicchio, Pichet Ong, and Williams Sonoma. Only the best! :) Obvi, I'm looking into making some new delicious treats. Namely, Castella cake! I can't wait to experiment!

(143/365) With spring showers, come spring flowers!

My mom picked these from around our property. They smelled delicious too!

(142/365) H&M = Hello (Kitty) Madness!

Look who I saw on a sweatsuit jacket in the kids section at H&M. WANT.

(141/365) Sweet lady, won't you be mine?

Oh Tyrese, preach it.

Hello my lovaaaaas from Georgia! Tina came down from DC and we had a mini reunion. I love you ladies!

(140/365) JUST cuckoo!

This is my cuckoo clock. It's not running. The ticking of this clock is enough to drive me insane. Oh, and I lost the damn key to wind it up anyway. BTWs, catching up with the daily photo is somuchfun. I hope you're enjoying it as much as I am.

(139/365) Thanks, healthcare.

I like the healthcare that I prayed for and now pay for.

Seriously, I saved $524.09. I had a coupon too, but... still. That's a fuckload of money!

(138/365) Good Tip!

I know someone who always heats fish in the microwave, then has to duck in her cube and eat it sneakily at the price of the hatred of her coworkers. I love fish but damn the smell is toxic and depending on the chef... naaaaaasty.

(137/365) Liberty of London

After spending nearly $300 online at Target.com, my favorite purchase has to be this dress. I love Liberty of London and I love how floral is in this season!

(136/365) Salman Rushdie

Apparently people weren't dying to take pictures of him, so I could only take this super blurry photo. If you squint your eyes, you can see his paler than imagined skin, his white beard, his creeper glasses, and his smooooooooooth British accent.

For more information about his talk, look at my post on the Sideways Pew Hug.

(135/365) Brew Your Cask Off!

Sure, the weekend before last I went to the Sweetwater brewery to attend their Brew Your Cask Off. It was a delight. Stall worker of #23 and #24 loved me therefore I got more beer!

But besides the beer, I was obsessed with these pretzel necklaces. Note to self and to you, next I attend a Brew off, must bring OWN pretz necklace!

This was obvi a sneak photo!

Tan Ban?

America just put wrench in the Guido way of life due to a new tax that will be enacted on tanning beds. GTL+ an extra tax.

I've noticed recently that a girl at work is tan and I find it to be slightly inappropriate... which is strange. Coming from a girl that has lived in Georgia the entire duration of my life, could be happening? Could being tan, finally stop being cool?

Doubt it. I think I'm just not used to seeing the sun, the transition from winter to spring has been an abrupt one.

... and I think the florescent lights that I work under, the windowless room, and the fact that many of my coworkers have no desire to be tan, may be affecting my thought processes.

Tan = Hot? Somebody tell me!

Happy half birthday to me!!

In order to celebrate this momentous occasion before it ends, I wish to bring to your attention a song which I had previously listened to in zee car on the way home from work.



Yes, it's Jeremih's (Jeremy? Jere-MEH? Jere-My?)Birthday Sex, the uptempo remix.

Please read the lyrics, because I know that you really need to know what this song is about. Now that I've read it once, I realize that I don't know what 20% of this song means. Weezy? What does "making" birthday sex entail? Mostly, I don't understand who would want birthday sex instead of any of the other things that are being rejected?

What I do understand is how catchy this song is!

__________________________________________


It's yo birthday, so I know you want to ride out
Even if we only go to my house
Sip on weezy as we sit upon my couch
Feels good, but I know you want to cry out

You say want passion, I think you found it
Get ready for action, don't be astounded
We switching positions, you feel so rounded
Tell me where you want your gift, girl

Girl you know I-I-I, Girl you know I-I-I
I been feenin,
Wake up in the late night
Been dreamin bout your loving, girl
Girl you know I-I-I, Girl you know I-I-I
Don't need candles and cake
Just need your body to make...
Birthday sex... Birthday sex
Birthday sex... Birthday sex

See you sexy and them jeans got me on 10
1-2-3 Ding, I got you pinned
Don't tap out, fight until the end
Ring that bell, and we gonna start over again
We ridin with passion, 'cause it's your birthday
Been at it for hours, I know you thirsty
You kiss me so sweetly, taste just like Hershey's
Just tell me how you want you gift, girl

Girl you know I-I-I, Girl you know I-I-I
I been feenin,
Wake up in the late night
Been dreamin bout your loving, girl
Girl you know I-I-I, Girl you know I-I-I
Don't need candles and cake
Just need your body to make...
Birthday sex... Birthday sex
Birthday sex... Birthday sex

First, I'm gonna take a dive into the water,
Deep until I know I pleased that body
Or girl without a broom I might just sweep you off your feet
And make you wanna tell somebody...how I do
Or maybe we can float on top my waterbed
You close your eyes as I im-prov between your legs
We work our way from kitchen stoves and tables,
Girl, you know I'm only able to please
Say you wanted flowers on the bed
But you got me and now it's on again

Girl you know I-I-I, Girl you know I-I-I
I been feenin,
Wake up in the late night
Been dreamin bout your loving, girl
Girl you know I-I-I, Girl you know I-I-I
Don't need candles and cake
Just need your body to make...
Birthday sex... Birthday sex
Birthday sex... Birthday sex

The Sideways Pew Hug

I will admit to you right now that I do not attend church regularly. I am not sure if I can even qualify that I attend church irregularly. Altogether, I would say that I enjoy churches mostly for the singing, the stained glass and the history behind the formation of religion. Most of the churches that I have entered have been on vacation or in weddings.

I most recently entered a chapel for a lecture from Salman Rushdie on Wonderlands.

 Look familiar? This picture totally looks like the Miss Dior Cherie Ad.

First of all, this might be a long story, so gird your loins and get ready to ramble! I only heard of this lecture while listening to NPR on my car ride into work, so a) I'm grateful that I listen to NPR, b) for driving into work in the morning, no matter how much I loathe it usually. After finding this link online, I was surprised to know that Salman Rushdie is the Distinguished Writer in Residence at Emory and has been for apparently, the past four years. I mean sure, I have only loved him for three of those years but you can't imagine the surprise that I felt..... at 7:30 in the morning. Right so anyway, I decide that I'm attending this lecture, I buy the tickets and I arrive 20 mins early in order to ensure that I get a good seat. I discover that it's in a chapel, with great acoustics for singing, not lectures. (Sadly, I spent most of Rushdie's lecture struggling to discern his words, and not being able to fully process them.) In these twenty mins, I found myself in the midst of many people who really hadn't read any of Rushdie's work and/or were a part of a party with one person that really wished to attend this lecture. In front was a boy busily texting on his phone. To my left were two professors' wives who had recently retired but still had working husbands  (as you might be able to tell, I am an eavesdropper.) and to my right, is the subject of my post. FINALLY...

I glance over from my people watching on the right to see two liberal arts lesbians saving seats for friends. As their friends arrive, one woman sits down before hugging the other, who is already seated. Seated hugs to me are VERY awkward. I think that the natural process of hugging another person when one is seated, is to rise from the seated position and hug in the standing position.

this is hugging an inanimate object while sitting, awkward, but ok.

Hugging while lying down is called cuddling. Hugging is generally considered a standing activity, or so I have believed for some time now. After some consideration, I imagine the Sideways Pew Hug is easier since the surface of the pew is smooth and there are no real dividers that separate or delineate when one seat ends and the other begins. The slick surface allows clothes to slide as you rotate to hug your lesbian friend who has been saving you a seat at the Salman Rushdie lecture on Wonderlands. I think the only time it is acceptable to hug while sitting is when one is sitting in the other's lap??, this is on the brink of also being awkward in another sense....

Right so! I shall endeavor to hug someone the next time I'm sitting in a pew. After this full dissemination on the science of pew hugging, I will be sure to give you a full report on whether or not it is actually awkward and I expect you to respond likewise.

I can't seem to catch up on the ZzzZs

I think I've slept no more than 5 hours each night this week. The season change is a :( on me body. My brain just feels like it's whirring, running air but not processing anything...... much like my computer, which I am consistently worrying about every time I turn it on and it takes about 45 additional seconds to find something. I'm thinking that I'm probably going to need to send it off, then pray that they don't decide something is wrong with it, again.

I've just purchased an external hard drive, which I'm picking up, in 5 to 7 business days, because I'd prefer to not pay $$$ for shipping. Memories vs. extra shipping charges? Shiiiiiiit, I'm cheap as hell!

I have very many incomplete thoughts right now, which worries me slightly. I feel as though I've not completed any ONE task, but should, but I don't know what's going on. My grasp on reality is fading!

I am listening Renegade by Styx and Rhiannon by Fleetwood Mac on repeat. I'm trying to upload as many pictures on a newly created Picasa account in case things stop running for me... and I'm freaked out by the idea that it's 2010 already and I'm not sure what notable things I really did in 2009. (NOTE: I started this blog as last year.)

Whoa. Are you tired of my crazy ranting yet? I just realized that this post is a direct reflection on how I feel like my mind is working right now. Random, working so HARD, but accomplishing nothing. Perhaps I should just shut it down and let it rest for a bit, much like my computer, as soon as I upload about 500 images online.

Oh hello Tuesday, the new Monday

Waking up so early = trouble all the time. I just knocked over my computer because I had placed it at a weird angle. At any moment, this computer may cease to work. My hayfever is out of control and... I'm still addicted to Antiques Roadshow.

Apparently there's a Chinese version of that. Ah! Something to look forward to!

I think about blogging ideas all zee time and then somehow do not capitalize on them. I did think of one that I wished to speak about. Sideways Pew Hugging. We'll hopefully get to that later today!

Have a great Tooos.

Spring into spring!

Welcome to Spring, the most anticipated season of the decade! Yesterday the weather was so beautiful that I decided to go for a walk and take pictures of the local fauna. The flowers are in bloom! Enjoy the colors of Lilburn, GA.

Next door!

Three doors down, where Nick used to live.

On the corner, down the street. 

Peach blooms.

White blooms! These might be pear trees... but they probably aren't.

Spring is officially here!

(134/365) Two Pups

Two kitties for the image yesterday, today, two puppies!

These are my neighbors' puppies. They are adorable. I'm going to start walking them after work starting next.... Wednesday!

(133/365) MMM, Delicious!

You've missed seeing Hello Kitty on this blog? So HAVE I!

This image was taken from the tin box of colored pencils from 1990. That's 20 years ago! This tin is V I N T A G E now. Sick.

OK Go's This Too Shall Pass

If you love Rube Goldberg and his take on how to do something simple in the most complicated manner possible....

then you'll love this:

Parish Foods & Goods, not so goods

A friend and I arrived at Parish at 5:30 pm to an empty restaurant. That’s fine because who eats that early? People who are at work at 7:30a, leave at 4 and have no place else to go, and no other thoughts in their mind but delicious food on their minds, that’s who. Let me tell you my expectations to begin with…

Previously at work, I had glanced, nay stared at the menu, and I have to say I was impressed. Cajun/Southern/American/local/organic…. AND, I realized that the head chef was the ex-boyfriend of one of my friends, an ex who my friend said cooked really good food, no matter whatever the circumstances of their breakup.

So my expectations, I would say on a scale of 1-high, at about a strong 7. I wasn’t expecting new flavors, but I was expecting a meal of solid quality, artistry, and flavor explosions.

BTW, here was the menu:

Course 1

Choice of:
A: Smoked Ham Hock Hushpuppies w/ Black Eye Pea Caviar and Goat Cheese Buttermilk
B: Pimento Cheese Bisque w/ Pickled Celery “Chow Chow”
C: Georgia Creamed Grits w/ Sherried Shrooms, Applewood Smoked Bacon and Poached Yard Egg

Course 2

Choice of
A: Lemon Pepper Roasted Pork Shoulder: Creamed Collards, Warm Potato Salad, Natural Jus
B: Kenny’s Fish Fry: Buttermilk Fried Catfish, Garlic Potato Wedges, Tart Coleslaw, Malt Vinegar Butter
C:  Roasted Eggplant and Smoked Tomato Jamabalaya

Course 3

Choice of
A: Chocolate Pudding w/ whip cream and nilla wafers
B: Spiced Apple Cake w/ Brown Sugar Icecream

I love choices and all of these looked worthy of considering, except for the veg choice on the entrees because who’s kidding who here, I’m not paying $$$ for eggplants, dude.

The service was interesting. The server had a trainee shadowing him. I felt as though he was overly cheerful trying to demonstrate the definition of good service. I liked him enough but he was a chatty Cathy. I wish I remembered his name. I probably shouldn’t have waited so long. But I needed something to think about today and this is going to be it.

Before we got our food, we each ordered a drink, I ordered a Pimm’s cup and Leana ordered a glass of wine. Pimm’s cup = delicious spring treat! We were each served a single slice of bread that looked like it had just been pressed inside a George Foreman…questionable but who turns down free carbs? In retrospect, I wouldn’t have eaten this.

Leana ordered the hushpups and I ordered the grits. These grits I loved. Creamy smooth with mushrooms, I loved what I could taste. The poached egg was a little bit overdone, but I don’t mind, that’s my preference. If you want a perfectly poached egg you should go to Momofuku Noodle Bar, David Chang has a $1000 perfect egg poacher. Obvi Parish doesn’t have that bad boy. I dug around in the dark looking for the applewood bacon, I found more mushrooms, which I’m not complaining about… but… bacon probably could have made this even more divine. The bite of hush pups that I got were a bit dry. I definitely won on the appetizer order.

Main course, I ordered the pork shoulder, Leana, the fishfry. I didn’t bother to taste hers, it looked like Long John Silver’s catch of the day, and she said as much. Mine was interesting. On paper I ordered the “Lemon Pepper Roasted Pork Shoulder: Creamed Collards, Warm Potato Salad, Natural Jus.” What I saw on my plate were two slices of pork on top of potatoes and creamy greens. After some oral experimentation, the pork, too dry in some areas, just right in others, was over salted. That was just my first bite. The potatoes had been soaked in lemon jus or something for TOO long, I literally couldn’t put that stuff in my mouth and the collard greens were creamy and delicious. I devoured the creamy greens, choked down the pork, and deserted the potatoes.

For dessert, I ordered the apple cake and Leana, the pudding. My apple cake seemed like an apple tart, very dry at the tip, similar to what a tart tastes like when it’s stale. Mixed with the vanilla ice cream, we were able to eat it.  Meanwhile, Leana’s pudding was made like a mousse, with the thick consistency of a pudding. It was too rich for this bitch… and the “nilla” wafer… was more like a greasy cookie that unsettled the stomach.

Overall rating: C+

Likes: Pimm’s Cup, Grits

Dislikes: Everything else, including, sadly the service.

Fresh out of the Fryer! Big Mac Index 2010

In 2010, we can see based on this highly scientific index that the Yuan undervalued. Again, I realize how cool economics is.

For those of you wondering what the purpose of this index is for the normal person?

Top of the list: places not to go because it's pretty freaking expensive. Seriously. One meal at McD's in Norway was $12 USD.

Bottom of the list: where you can ball out of control and live like a king on $12.

(132/365) Occasionally, I celebrate the occasion.

Featured: My planner with the packages that I'm expecting to receive. Below, the St. Patty's LeSportSac I bought because I love St. Patrick's Day!

(131/365) Oh, MINE EYES!

The ayes have it. This is an amazing way to trick out your otherwise boring Saturn.

Hot pink sparkles make EVERYTHING sexy.

(130/365) Spring Shopping

I can't stop the alliteration! I have been shopping up a storm lately, which makes my morning dressing ritual pretty crazy because I want to wear new stuff all zee time. These are not new things that end up in a pile on zee floor!

(129/365) Daffofils delineating Spring!

These are daffodils right?

(128/365) Tasty le Tuna!

Ever since an underage drinking episode in NYC, I have loved tuna tartare. The tuna at Eclipse di Luna, DOES NOT, I repeat, DOES NOT DISAPPOINT! Nom nom nom. Marinated in soy sauce and a touch of sesame oil, it's mixed with green onions. It tastes of a delightful culinary fusion of cuisines!

(127/365) Hansel and Gretel?

Or two really buff men in child's costumes. Instead of being tricked in the gingerbread house.... they are Marines that are about to overtake the witch. Those bulging fists are a give away!

Happy St. Patty's!

Admittedly, I'm doing nothing to celebrate. The thought of green beer is making me a little nauseous. Have you ever had a hard day at work that makes you feel like you know exactly why the American government is failing? I did today. Poooo. Should I chase away my sorrows with beers? Probably. Do I have enough energy to do so? Yeeeeah. About that. DEFINITELY not going to happen!

I’m channeling all my energy from my job to my blog! Get ready for a barrage of lovin’. Just think of every post as a shot that I would probably be taking if I used alcohol to dictate my emotions.

I've been thinking of baking cupcakes, but I think I'm going to forgo any sort of dedication to St. Patty's and go straight to Easter, the holiday with the cutest stuff.

Answer this question!

AHH!

HOW DOES KIRSTIE ALLEY KEEP GETTING PAID? Let's face it. She's disgusting.

Apparently, she has a new TV show coming up on TLC, on how she's going to lose weight again? I remember watching Veronica's Closet, not turning it off the television, but seriously, who still cares about Kirstie Alley?

Here she is on twitter: http://twitter.com/KIRSTIEalley

I feel like she must have some sort of body image denial, because I'm pretty positive this isn't how she looks anymore!

:( Boo for the sad decline of reality television.

(126/365) Easter soon?

Just 4 or 5 friends hanging out!

(125/365) Parrish Meh

It's Inman Park Resto week. This is my appetizer for the first part of my 3-course prix fixe meal. Grits with a poached egg, some mushrooms, and there was supposed to be some meaty bits in there. This is was best part of my meal. The poached egg was not perfect though - Momofuku has that down. Meh: Overall, not worth it! More later this weekend!

(124/365) The Perfect Strawberry

I found a huge pack of strawberries in my fridge. This was the most perfect one in the batch. Cute, perfectly red, juicy = a delicious little bite!

M is for Mainstream

I'm fighting my urge to fall in line with the rest of American and watch American Idol, but it looks like this year, I've FINALLY fallen in love with one of the singers.




She's 19, a glass blower's apprentice from Cape Cod, a true hipster, with the most awesome Irish name ever. Siobhan Magnus... I am a fan.

I'm glad that tomorrow is finally Friday. It's been a long week, my friends. I think I might have to start emailing myself at work directly to my blog in order to get posts in. I'm barely coherent at this time these days.

(123/365) Minna no Tabo

Yes, I still use thumbtacks that I was given in 1992. Sorry for the intense posting, I'm caught up again and.. yes. Gossip Girl has started back up.

(122/365) Sticky icky icky

I've never hidden the fact that I'm a total hoarder and obsess-er. Currently, I'm obsessed with sticky notes and I found some really really awesome ones at Michael's while I was searching for more beads to make necklaces out of!

(121/365) Saturday @ zee Chocolate Bar!

While I was double fisting hot mocha and a chocolate martini, I looked up and I liked what I saw. So I snapped a picture of it. Go to the Chocolate Bar in Decatur, GA and enjoy a chocolate martini and this light fixture. I liked the drink more.

(120/365) Don't try and stop this!

Steak and Shake pleasures! An hour at lunch, a reprimand from my instructor, confusion and it was Friday? Just TRY and stop the fun!

(119/365) Desk Decorations

Spiderman punching a sailor in the head? Why, yes. Thanks, fellow co-worker for sprucing up these random man shaped pieces of paper that my supervisor thinks represents the veterans that I'm helping. It was a stretch from the beginning and now it's awesome!

(118/365) Office Pranks

This is what Chris laid out on my keyboard, then said, Christine, type me an email. Then, almost freaked out when I started typing blindly on my keyboard.

(117/365) Mochi, Moji

Asia, I can't wait to get back to you so I can buy delicious snacks like this at Duty Free. White people say mochi, I say moji - or..... pronounced correctly, moi, like the French for me, and ji.

(116/365) Show me your beads

Artful display? ..or. Whatever. It's the necklace I made, on me bed.