Get me the paddles... this blog is coming back to life!

Driving to work this morning I found myself behind a red 1980s BMW 3 series, which I ended up following for about 5 miles. This would usually be an insignificant part of my 25min morning fog of a commute, but this was different. Trailing this car, with its random bumper sticker and jerky 5-speed driver immediately unraveled a string of memories bringing me right back to the fall of 2006, and my trip to San Francisco, which was my first introduction to all things “hipster” and how I learned a new word I won't soon forget.

Come, pull up a chair.

October 2006, my first trip to northern California. The BF at the time had a really good friend (I’ll call him Roger) he’d known since elementary school who moved out west after college. Roger was forever extending an invitation to us to come for a visit. I’d met Roger and hung out with him on several occasions, so that year we finally took him up on his offer. We had no doubt he’d be a great host and we could jam pack our 5 day trip with lots of sights in his 1980s BMW 3 series (yup, there’s the tie-in).

Let me preface this story by pointing out that San Francisco didn’t turn this guy hipster. Oddly enough, it was almost as if Roger was born pre-qualified, and as soon as the term, and all it encompassed, made its way into pop culture nomenclature, he was it… this hipster thing, personified! 
Merriam Webster defines Hipster as: a person who is unusually aware of and interested in new and unconventional patterns (as in jazz or fashion). Hmm, that’s a mediocre definition at best, and only the tip of the iceberg. Add to that: a penchant for the vegetarian lifestyle since birth, all things Jack Kerouac and the Beat movement, speaking in seldom used SAT vocab words, and a favorite, well-worn sweater with tweed patches adorning the elbows (an amazing thrift store find, for sure), all while drinking tap water out of a mason jar. Because duhhh, using them for canning jam is, like, so mainstream.

Speaking of the vocab words, one memorable moment of this trip was a late night Scrabble game. Yes, this was a tangible board game, pre- Words with Friends, where you actually had to keep score. Surrounded by bottles of local wine (local as in the vineyard was an hour away), an impressive array of cheese from the corner market, and an ubercrusty baguette, (because God forbid you go to a supermarket in San Fran, oh the horror.), we launched a battle with lettered tiles as our weapons.

It was PA vs. CA; me and the BF vs. Roger and his friend Evan. There was indie music (of course) shuffling on the iPod, a dim glow of IKEA lamps filling the apartment, and a fierce competition brewing within us. Pass me my wine, please.

Evan wasn’t a small man. Standing over 6’, he had a full beard and sported a sweater that probably should have been bought a size larger (important to note, this decision is hipster approved). Looked like he should have been chopping wood up in Alaska, not sipping wine and Scrabbling in San Fran. The conversation was casual, the wine and cheese made the rounds, and then came the defining moment which I will recreate below.

Mid-game, Roger places a word carefully on the board, a high point play.
The word: fatwa

BF: “Fatwa? What the hell is that?”

Roger: (looking at Evan) “Fatwa. That’s legit, right Evan?”

Evan: (beaming with assurance) “Of course. Fatwa. Right on. Nice play man.”

Me: (sneaking a glance at BF) “We’re getting scammed. I’ve never heard of that.”

Roger: (grabbing the Mac laptop for verification, a cloud of confidence hovering overhead)
“Fatwa. Here’s the definition…You guys have never heard of it?", (a genuine puzzled look spreads across his face)

He proceeds to read the definition: a legal opinion or decree handed down by an Islamic religious leader.

Ohhhh
Oh, oh wow, yeah

RIGHT!
Of course!

FATWA! We should have known that, silly, silly us. Perhaps we should just ask SJU and Boston College for refunds at this point. This is the moment where the many facets of Roger collide, in a perfect storm kind of way: west coast hipster meets Ivy League graduate meets a higher than usual intellect- when all 3 just carefully walk the line of making you want to truly admire his intelligence while simultaneously wanting to slap him straight out of his retro Nikes.

Needless to say, we lost the Scrabble game. No sore losers here though. The trip continued with a jaunt to wine country, a visit to SFMoMA, a no-reservations-made walk into a well known sushi joint (yeah, we’ll take the table in the corner. Perfect). It really was a fabulous time. It met all my requirements for an ideal trip and I came home refreshed, inspired, and excited about where I should go next.

Fast forward to 2012. I’ve got 5+ Words with Friends games going on my trusty (non-hipster) Android phone. My turn is up, and I'm shuffling these tiles about ten times when my eyes and mind connect on a particular set of letters- A T F W. Waaaait a minute. With an A already on the board in prime position, I throw down fatwa like a wannabe Scrabble boss. Boom!

Soon after comes the internal message from my opponent: “Fatwa??”

“Yeah” I type, with the biggest possible smirk plastered on my face. “That word’s totally legit."
(Giggling to myself at this point, remembering that night in 2006 when a hipster served us up a word 98 out of 100 Americans polled on the street wouldn't know)

"You’ve never heard of it?”

Get me a compass. Preferably, one that works.

The blog is back.

You'd think after a month hiatus I'd be tempted back to my old ways and rattle off the biggest bulleted list of randoms one has ever seen.

Nope. That won't happen. (I'm not saying the WR is extinct; it shall rise again!)

As you may have noticed, there's a new pic in the background. One that completely captures how I felt today, the 28th day of what has been the worst month of 2012. 4 months to go in this year, and I'm convinced the universe hates me if something tops the nightmare which has been the month of August (and I attribute 98% of this grief to work and job related fiascoes. My personal life never gets that much out of control.)

I refuse to believe I am the only one who, on a minimum of a weekly basis, questions what exactly is it I was put on this planet to do. I believe I've touched on the mortality topic in my blogs; I'm keenly aware I will exist for a finite period of time on this spinning ball, and I see my days, weeks, months, not as an infinite loop of wake/eat/work/sleep [repeat], but as smaller episodes in the bigger series which is MY LIFE.

Now don 't go gettin all "Oh, she's having some sort of wicked mood swing (I will not confirm nor deny this) and it taking it out on the new blog"
I am merely pointing out the fact I have been spending the last 10 years wasting my time (while being paid, important fact) doing something that neither showcases my skills nor fulfills anything in me that reaffirms, "This is what I was meant to do"

Most people don't care. Work=money=bills paid. Sorry, I don't think so one-dimensionally. I'm more stubborn than a Goddamn donkey and nothing, nothing will stop me from realizing this answer which has been eluding me since the first day I began working a real full time job.

This feeling really starts to amp up once I've hit the 3 year mark. Inevitably, when I'm not being met with challenge, when I'm putting out more fires that those who drive the red trucks, and I ask myself, "As a person of free will, why am I putting myself though this?", that's when I start getting antsy. I'm not satisfied. I'm just going through the motions. Don't I owe it to myself to see this through to the end? That graphic of the crossroads with tons of unmarked arrows slaps me square in the face, usually a stinging kind of slap after a particularly horrible day. And with each passing year and each job change, things get much better (financially, etc), but the bigger question remains a gigantic, frustrating mystery.

I won't deny that I'm grateful to have a very sweet deal right now. This doesn't slow my determination to find my answer. I will not stop. I've read every book and blog on this topic over the past 10 years and have answered more surveys and personality profiles than I care to admit. There have been plenty of people who have found success and something meaningful after 30. I just keep telling myself I will soon add my name to that list.

Wednesday Randoms

Something new and different!

Stayed tuned...

Wednesday Randoms

I have to be truthful here- I nearly forgot about the weekly WR post tonight! Could it be that I've visited 18 bars in the last 6 days, and I was more preoccupied with finishing that project? Maybe. No excuses. Perhaps this topic has jumped the shark; you know, gotten a little stale. I'm still full of rants, raves, opinions and everything else, I swear! The time to actually sit down and write it has become the challenge. I never "pre-write" the blog days beforehand. What you get in the weekly post is fresh-from-my-head-to-your-screen" I think that's why I enjoy Twitter (yet another Twitter plug on this blog!) It's instant, real-time thoughts with only the 140 character limit holding me back. I'd love to do a blog with a huge following. Just need a catchy idea, or something that's highly searched on Google. Oh, wait, I def don't want to go there! I'm going to think this one out. Having some sort of web design skills would be helpful... But I'll worry about that after I come up with the genius plan. Stay tuned! And I welcome suggestions, loyal readers ( yes, I'm talking about all you in Russia. Someone over there is blowing up my hit counts. Until next time : )

Wednesday Randoms

Hey. Random time

• I've been watching a good share of TV in between working, and working out. Some real good movies, and more than enough Kardashian trash. First off, Scott Disick can do waaaay better than the incredibly ssslllooow taaaalllkkkiinnngg Kourtney. She is just so irritating to listen to! Sounds like every word out of her mouth is trying to be translated to a voice text. Let me speak slloooower.
• Gave the birds some hang out time together tonight in Green's cage.
• Phase 1 of waging war against my smoking neighbors has begun. And I won't stop until the problem is solved!
• So sad my last shipment of Birchbox is this month. I think I might have to continue it for another 6.
• Despite what I've said in the past, I've changed my mind. My next phone is absolutely going to be an iPhone. I'm so sick of the Android and its million options and millions possibilities to screw up.
• So yeeeaaa, that race is coming up in about 6 weeks. Ahhh. If it's as hot then as it has been the past week, I'm gonna pull some turtle times on the clock. Ack
• Looking forward to my next vacation in October. It's pretty much work from now up until then. Not very fun.

Wednesday Randoms - Happy 4th!

Happy 4th of July!

• Saw some cool fireworks tonight at Abington HS
• Realizing I have entered the threshold of hell as far as work is concerned from now until the first week of September. Guess that means it's time to start planning another vacation!
• It's been too hot to full commit to my training for the 1/2 marathon at the end of August. #oops I am, however, trying to change up the routine and try some different things to get myself used to the heat. By the beginning of August, if I haven't already, it's definitely time to get down to business!
• I had to buy tomato cages for my Growums Garden! Yay! That means I should have some flowers soon, and flowers turn into... tomatoes! I have basil that's big enough to harvest. Hopefully in another month I'll have some crops to harvest.
• South Park is still so funny after all these years. Those guys have brilliantly pushed the envelope as far as they possibly could.
• Pretty excited for the Olympics
• Whole Foods near me has a really cool setup for the month of July. They call it "Pie in July", where all pies are $9.99. There's a cute wooden pie stand and someone standing there selling them and giving out samples. One of the managers at the bakery/coffee shop I worked out had a saying for it: "Pile 'em high and watch 'em fly". It's true; people are more likely to buy a pie off a display that's attractive and filled. No one wants to buy the last one on the shelf. You get the feeling it's old and are probably less likely to buy it.
• I have stuck to the same preparation method for my weekly serving of salmon- the mango teriyaki.  The peach mango habenero marinade on the salmon I bought from Whole Foods last weekend really motivated me to try a different method of preparation. I shall explore my options and report back!
• Brought my first item off Ebay today. No bidding involved, just a 'buy now' and free shipping, a click to pay with PayPal, and I was done. Super easy.
• Read an article this week on Glamping, which is a form of camping more glamorous than the usual tent and sleeping bag version. This was in Galway Ireland. Seemed like a really cool idea. After staying in the cabin in South Dakota, I'm reluctant to stay in a hotel unless I absolutely have to.. for at least part of the trip.
• 2 more days until the weekend. Haven't worked a full week in 3 weeks. That will soon end... oh well. At least the days go by really fast.

Wednesday Randoms

Back from vaca! South Dakota is pretty awesome. So glad we chose to go there instead of taking the easy road to the Jersey shore. I'll do a separate entry on that, but everyone should take the time, just once in their life, and visit some remote place, just to see how other people live. Not everything is shopping malls and cell phones. Great place, beautiful landscape. I would definitely go back (but I still like Ireland better :) ) Off to bed. I'll make up for the mediocre posts the past week.

Wednesday Randoms

Vacation day! Leaving in a little for some time out in some National Parks. Goin west! See ya for a recap when I get back A few randoms -Packing for trips is the same no matter where you go. Local or International, it's the same stress. -Looking forward to cowboy country :)

Wednesday Randoms

Hello sunny Wednesday. Glad you decided to show your face again after making us suffer through that cloudy, rainy, miserably humid day yesterday. At least everyone’s lawn will be green. · I’ve heard of all kinds of government conspiracies like cloud seeding, and while Ihave no idea if these rumors have any merit. Wouldn’t be awesome if it only rained at night? And maybe occasionally during the day? Think about it. No activities or parties ruined and everything still gets the rain it needs. · Why can’t people follow directions? These are educated, well versed, well-traveled,and sometimes multi lingual people. What is so hard about providing everything listed on a simple checklist? While working every day I concurrently conduct social experiments to see exactly what I have to do to get the masses to follow directions and get me what I need. In short, I’ve found bold font and directions written like they’re for an 8yr old work well. · You know my Sephora obsession. Of course you do. Now what I really love is my monthly Birchbox deliveries! Bonus points for youngest sister for getting me 6 months’worth of deliveries! Check them out if you haven’t. There’s nothing more exciting than coming home from work on a Monday to find a box of goodies inyour mailbox containing samples of makeup, perfume, etc. #loveit · Ileave for vacation in one week! Holla · I haven’t had ceviche in a while. I was on a mad kick making that last summer. I think that’s how I finally got over my aversion to purple onions. I still hate sweet onions, caramelized ones, and those big circular white ones Wendy’s puts on their burgers, but the white ones with the purple shell, finely diced, are so perfect in that dish. Going to a Mexican place tonight AND Friday, so my cravings should be exhausted after that. · I’m on a mediocre start with the training for the ½ in August. The rest of this week will be nice and ideal running weather, and this is how it’s playing out:tonight- double happy hour, tomorrow- promo job, Friday- Mexican night w/friends. All this fun really leaves little time for running. I guess you haveto be unemployed, insanely addicted, born with Olympic talent, or carry a half empty social calendar to really commit seriously to this. - Bonus tonight as I engaged in not 1, but TWO happy hours. Really fun. Caught up with some people I haven't seen in years (and by that I meant 15yrs for one and 4yrs for the other!) Now.... bed!

Run/Shred/Walk (My Sunday)

You know when you have one of those really productive days? The kind that leaves your body tired, counting down the hours til you hit the pillow, yet filled with a very pleasing sense of accomplishment? I had one of those days. And it was well overdue.

For the past 8 years or so, my weekends have been a combination of work and fun (thankfully the latter outweighs the former), and when the direction starts turning towards fun, and not looking back, the mundane chores which are so easy to put off get... well...
put off. (Who wants to dust when another murder movie is on Lifetime? Who needs to file papers when there's YouTube to surf? Who really wants to wash the dark clothes when there's FIVE moves waiting in the queue on Words With Friends?!?!?!)

You get the point. Today was different though. I seized the opportunity and blocked out all distractions, and finally got down to business on that bag of papers/check stubs/bill receipts/CRAP that's been sitting in a closet since...wait for it... Spring 2010. *gasp*

A nice, hot 3.5mi run at 8am started off the morning right. What I was saying as I trudged up the hills of Conshy in 80deg wasn't exactly motivational, but the work got done, (thank you PG for the company and inspiring words to drown out my gasping for air heavy breathing) and I was determined to go home and do something productive. Running- done.

After getting a little distracted by Rafa v. Djoko in the French Open, I grabbed the paper shredder, dragged the filing cabinet out of my room, yanked that dreaded bag filled with 2yrs of junk out of the closet, and got to work. 3 hours later, I filled one of those big black 33gal trash bags. So many shredded bits, I think I could dump it from the ceiling at the next televised celebration event! 5yrs worth of old bills and bank statements! HOORAH! I wanted to throw it in the air and celebrate for finally ending my procrastination and getting this done. It sounds small and like an over-hyped accomplishment, but equate it to finally getting that one corner of the basement cleaned up, or that certain closet organized. When it's done it's like someone filled the house with a huge burst of fresh air, if just for a moment. Shredding- done.

Spending the afternoon as a busy bee made me realize it was dinner time! Slim pickings in the house, so I was going out for something... wasn't sure what. Starting the day off with a run, then shredding/filing/cleaning for hours had me a little wired. There was no way I could just get in the car and hit up my trusty Wendy's for a snack. I also had a really nice parking spot out front... and then it hit me... I'm going to Whole Foods. And I'm going to WALK there. (ooooh ahhh).

It's 1.2miles round trip. I'm an able-bodied person, it's a nice day out, and there are sidewalks for 80% of the walk. I wasn't pressured for time, so why not? That Whole Foods has been there for 3 years, and I've never walked there once. Shame on me.
So off I went. The entire trip door to door took 50min; 15min each way and 20min inside the store. It was still pretty hot out. While walking there I immediately thought back to the fall, and my solo trip to Dublin. I spent the entire week walking everywhere, and when not walking, taking the train or a bus. I loved it! I felt freedom, and the feeling of not being tethered to a car every minute of the day (sorry Jeep, still love ya) was somewhat liberating. I came home and was mad I actually had to drive 12mi to work the next day. I'm not a city gal, but I could get used to the idea of relying on myself for transportation for small, everyday things. Take a look around the next time you're in a major European city (Dublin, Paris, Rome)- everyone is fit and active. You know where I'm going with this...
One of many articles about Americans getting off their butt!

Someone needs to start the movement to get us moving. I know it's not feasible for everyone to walk to work, or to the store, but the solution lies in recognizing what things you can change and acting on them! Baby steps like wanting to ban the sales of jumbo soft drinks are a start, but it's a lot easier to convince someone to take a 20min walk than to threaten their freedom of choice and eliminate the 60oz Sprite option. So the walk to Whole Foods ended my productive Sunday. Believe it or not, I had a greater appreciation for the food having gone to more effort to obtain it. Just take my example and think of the big picture results. It's really what this county needs. Walking- done!

On the way home

Wednesday Randoms

Hello, Wednesday... from the blog-that-used-to-be-multidimensional-but-is-now-so-one-sided.

• I love Broadway. And musicals. And everything singing, dancing, costumes and makeup! I've seen over 20 shows and while I've only seen a couple on Broadway, the Philly theatres put on a pretty good show.
• After a very mediocre disappointing meal at the Olive Garden back in January, I doubt I'll be able to convince the BF to go back, even though the OG hooked me up with a gift card in the amount of the entire bill after I emailed them expressing some very objective feedback on my experience.
• Happy National Running Day! Guess what I did on this very special day? Signed up for my 1st and probably last half marathon! This was on my 2012 bucket list, and I knew I had to hit the button now. I know I can do the mileage, but the heat at the end of August has me a little worried. I'm just praying it's not 90deg and humid at 8am. I should be able to squeeze all my training into 10wks. As always, I'll report the results!
• One of my favorite things in the summer is the chocolate chip ice cream cookie sandwich, with the mini choc chips all stuck on the side. #loveit I've tried making my own before, but the product of the ice cream truck is just so much better. That's going to help the race training... for suuuuuure.
• Lots of stuff coming up: dog sitting, liquor promotions, vacation, meet ups with friends, wedding, baby showers. Sometimes I have to focus on the next 24hrs only so things don't seem too jumbled or overwhelming. I think how I'm just one person, with a small house, and nothing else super major on my plate. I can't imagine how these people with all these kids and jobs and a house and a million activities manage it. I have no interest in letting my life get to the point where I'm putting out the fires of chaos on a daily basis.
• My poor Kindle hasn't gotten much love the past 8 months or so. Although I read a really great book on Ireland and Irish Americans recently. I have no interest in the pop culture trashy novels everyone on Facebook posts how they read by the pool. I want to invest a few hours and come away learning something. (Go ahead world, judge away!)
• 2 years later, still playing Words With Friends, and have about 5 games going at once. I started a game with a random opponent 2 summers ago, we rematched, chatted here and there, and we've had continuous games going since for the past 2 years. That's the world we live in today. I have more interaction with a 21yr old from FL than I do with my cousins who live an hour away. Oh well. It's all good.
• I want to make a fresh fruit pie this summer... just need to decide what kind. Whatever I decided, you can be sure I'll take a pic :) Suggestions welcome. Don't be shy people, leave a comment!

Wednesday Randoms

Today's Wednesday, right? I love the occasional momentary confusion because that usually means we had a day off and it's a short week. Holla.

• Thank you once again Twitter and @sephora for your secret code in today's tweet that allowed me to score a bonus sample set for my online purchase today. Yay!
• I've learned an hour at night outside in NJ with shorts on equals about 50 mosquito bites. Not just the small red little bumps, I'm talking huge, insanely itchy, inflamed red marks all over my legs and back. Not on my face or arms, thankfully. These marks look like the bad reaction to the cat prick I got at the allergist a few months ago. Itchy ouchy.
•  My tomatoes and herbs are growing nicely! I'm hoping by the 4th of July I'll have something to harvest.
• I haven't been to Hershey Park in forever. Is there really anything more grand than approaching a town that smells deliciously of milk chocolate? Minus all the kids running around, a weekend will probably be the best time to go.
• These cheesy Lifetime movies still can get me on the edge of my seat (like the one I'm watching right now).
• Glad to report my road rage has diminished. Driving during rush hour is one of my most hated things. Get the school buses and teachers off the road and my life will be that much nicer from mid-June through September.
• Where is Cici's pizza? Keep seeing commercials and have never seen one. Googling I shall go...
• Not totally thrilled with the choice of Katie Couric to interview Wills and Harry for the Diamond Jubilee. She's always irritated me and I think she's a little too jokey when interviewing. Like there's this underlying smirk in her tone. I would have much rather seen Tom Brokaw, Brian Williams, or Matt Lauer do it (Partial to NBC much? Yes. Absolutely.). Then again, it's much easier to push for the Diana juicy stories  from the past with a woman interviewing.

I have so many more rants, but just not feeling like rattling them off. Next time.

Wednesday Randoms

A power nap and glass of lemonade-iced tea and I'm ready to random! Way better than last week when I nearly forgot about it.

I admit it. I'm a bit of a planning n*zi. I have a plan, a timeline, a list of things to do, places to go, and if my plan is followed, it's nearly a guarantee a good time will be had by all, and we'll have spent our time and money in the most efficient way. I've grown a bit lax in my punctuality as the years have gone by, but my mom is the most punctual person I've ever known, and my only excuse is that this kind of behavior is hard wired in my DNA. If you weren't someplace 10min before the designated time- you were late. Perhaps that plays into my obsessive nature that sometimes rears its ugly head when a vacation or busy week/weekend comes up. I even play out the logistics in my head beforehand if I have to run errands and need to hit 5 different places. I know the rest of the world isn't like me. Maybe I need to ease up a bit (but I will only allot 3 minutes for that!)

Ever notice some people have reallllly dirty front wheels, while the rest of the body of their car is sparkling clean? Do they use some kind of 'halfway-up only' car wash? Never understood that.

Finally confirmed through a shared elevator ride yesterday my neighbors indeed have a puppy. I'm not an expert, but from years of watching the Westminster Dog Show, I'm pretty sure it looked like a baby Brussels Griffon, all black. It was cute. The yelping has been on and off lately, so hopefully they're exercising some good training techniques and watching plenty of Cesar Milan.

Fresh watermelon is so enjoyable. I shudder at the thought of purchasing a whole one, lugging it to the car, lugging it up 8 floors, and then having to shove it in the fridge until I cut it up and neatly portion it in Tupperware containers so it doesn't risk sliding out and landing on my foot every time I open the door. I've said this over and over, and so have many others; the food that's best for us is always the most costly, and time consuming to prepare. I can absolutely see why I sometimes so many people opt for the $0.99 Junior Bacon Cheeseburger at Wendy's, instead of preparing some big salad with lettuce, carrots, tomatoes, chicken, etc. Add up the time and $$ and that Wendy's burger sure makes life a lot easier.

For all the ladies out there reading this, I've got a store you must check out- Jewelbilee! http://www.jewelbilee.com/ If you're like me and are endlessly searching for some unique, colorful, statement-type bracelets, earrings, or necklaces- this is the place. If you're a guy reading this- take your girl there next time you're near the Metroplex in 19462. (Major bonus point opp here! #youcanthankmelater)

3 day weekend in 2 more days! Liquor store promo tomorrow night, where I'll be sampling up some tasty Nuvo. If you've never tried it, it's worth a purchase. Just don't be put off too much by the pink/yellow perfume-looking glass bottle. Jamie Foxx raps about it in 'Blame it on the A-a-a-a-alcohol' #hiphopapproved

2 summers ago I was scoping out www.meetup.com for something fun, new and interesting to try. The pick up volley ball games on Tuesday nights by my house looked interesting, but I figured since my vertical jump isn't that great, and the last time I played volleyball was prob in gym class in HS, that might not be the best choice.
Then there's the 'Hip single parents meetup', and the 'Stich N Bitch' woman's group. Nope and nope again. One of these days I'll find a normal group with a fun activity and try it out. I still browse it every now and again. Maybe I should start my own group: 'Fun loving people who randomly blog, enjoy cheese fries, tweet frequently, and have a passion for travel'. Sounds like the only person I'll be 'meeting up' with is... myself. (wah waaah)

My vegetable seedlings are doing so well! Below are the most recent pics. I hope to have a bounty of vegetables in a couple months! Don't worry, I will blog the results.

5/23/12

5/9/12

• 
  

Ohmagawd Wenesday Randoms were almost forgotten about tonight! Eek! -

• Supported a good friend in her first coaching endeavor as she tried (and was successful!)in leading a team of 11/12yrs old to victory!
• Promo tomorrow. Trying out that new Captain Black Spice.
• Stillll need to make the cake pops!!
• Almost time for vacation mode!
• I know, I know. This was a tuuuuurrible WRs, but my eyes are about to shot! More to come next time I promise!!

I wrote this on my phone because I was soooo tired, and then couldn't find the button to publish it, so I had to come out to the laptop, no contacts in, and finish this off!  All in the name of Wednesday Randoms!!

Ok, so tired right now. Bed. I'll do better next time. Swear!

Wednesday Randoms

Wednesday's here!

• I buy waaaay too many clothes. I ran out of closet space about 4 years ago. I clean them out and gets rid of bags and bags, and there's still clothes everywhere! It's true what they say, you wear 20% of what you own 80% of the time. I'm trying my hardest to stray from (what seems like an invisible force pulling me) buying more black clothes. Open both my closets and it's nearly black. I've been good about bringing in color, and forgoing the patterned items. Ugh. What I need is someone to come to my house for 8 hours and go through every item and categorize it. I'll pay them! I wouldn't trust sourcing this type of person on Craig's List though...
• Broad Street (...I did it again). Yes, that's right. Another 10 miles straight through the heart of center city. It felt so much better this time around, and my recovery was just a day. I guess going 8min slower than last year made the aftermath more bearable. Still a good time. The traffic jam after the fact is another frustrating bullet point, but with 40,000 people in one location, I really have no room to complain
• Flyers choked again. Not much of a hockey fan at all, but I'd be real sick of standing by this team by now.
• You know that saying 'Never say never'? Wellllll... apply that right to me. This die hard red wine gal has made the switch to (gasp) white! Aaah. How did this happen, you ask? Well, after a glass of way-too-warm red wine at a pizza joint in Philly, I got a taste for something a little more crisp, a little more cool, and light and fruity. Not I am NOT going to tell you I've developed a love for an oakey Chardonnay. No way. A light Pinot Grigio or Savignon Blanc will suit me just fine.
• Watched a cool bio on Bill Clinton on PBS last night. The tale of slick Willy and his good ol southern upbringing, his cheatin ways, and how he formed the most powerful political team using marrige as a front duo that ever existed today. Still can't figure out how someone so smart could be so stupid and deal with humiliating himself and his family like that. #gladhesnotmydad
• Growums update: We've got some herbs sprouting! The oregano, tomatoes, and basil have begun to grow. The peppers got off to a sluggish start, but today I saw the beginning of a sprout start to push it's way through.

Aren't they lovely?

• Back to running. I've kept my word thus far in 2012, and have not wasted any time or $ doing any 5Ks. 3.1 just isn't enough. So I'm sticking to the bigger races only- 5mi, 10mi, 10K, and ultimately before the year is over, the 13.1. Fall is the optimal time to run this distance, so I'm going to have to stay active all summer and decide which I'm going to do in 4 or 5 months. I want it flat and fast- that's all I ask for!
• Vacation plans are starting to materialize. The date is picked, now... the destination!

Wednesday Randoms

Time for the bloggy blog. Lots of things I thought about adding to the blog this week; some topics, however, are better suited for an individual entry. The amount of ranting (or raving, not just complaints on this site!) deserve my undivided attention, and not just a bullet point on my laundry list of randoms. I'll work on it. Until then... back to your randomly scheduled program.

• Broad Street in 3 days! Ahh. The weather looks nearly identical to last year. I might even wear the same exact outfit so all conditions will be the same. I did my last workout today before the run. I might need a good hour of stretching before this thing... or maybe a breakfast cocktail beforehand
• I'd like to know how the 80-something lady in my building who uses a walker and goes about .6mph has a license?! I would bet my paycheck if someone gave her a driving test, she'd fail miserably. How can her physical reaction time be anywhere near where it needs to be to drive on a busy, multi-lane road in rush hour traffic?
• I'm attempting to bring my green thumb out this season. I was given a Growums Garden www.growums.com for Valentine's Day, and if all goes well, I'll have an abundance of basil, pepper, oregano, and tomatoes. Yay. The seedlings are carefully being exposed to light and water and hopefully they'll sprout soon. This garden is meant for kids, but I find it rather amusing to get emails with videos from these folks:

•  I can't wait to indulge in some Franzones and cake pops after the run on Sunday!
• Last year I wanted to make my own jam. June is usually the time to do it, when strawberries are at their peak. It's a lot of work, but afterwards you have 20 jams of delish jam to eat or give as presents.
• If you've never listened to 'Wars of the Roses' on 96.5 in the morning, you should! It's hilarious and they bust  cheating people so bad in these setup phone pranks. Another good one is the phone prank on 98.9 with Carmen. Here's a sample of the funny calls she does:

Wednesday Randoms

• It's wonderful to hear the birds twerping outside after dusk. Combined with the indoor tweeting (mine and the feathered ones haha), it's the best.
• Oh boy, I'm getting a taste of my old fix in the name of the Lifetime Movie Network. Always gets sucked in to these poorly-acted, over dramatic 2hr movies. Noooo, of course I'm not watching one right now #yougotme
• The BSR is less than 2 weeks away. I'm practicing what's known as the taper week(s). It'll be fun the day of, but at this point I'm just looking forward to getting it over with.
• Why does every small, private mechanic/garage look like an episode of Hoarders hit by a tornado? My God, how do they work, walk, and find anything? They seem to be the same breed of person. Nice, slightly aloof, and see no issue with their office being mistaken as a trash dump. Different strokes for different folks, I guess.
• I looked high and low for my Cake Pop baking set, relentlessly, and now that I got it, it's been sitting here idle! Shame on me for now taking some time and making some pops. I think I said I wanted to wait for an occasion, otherwise I'll eat them all myself!

That's all I got.

Wednesday Randoms

Wednesday, Wednesday

• Made a strawberry smoothie tonight and noticed it's a little on the bland side. I know those smoothie places dump syrup or some sort of sugary concoction to sweeten it up. And keep us wanting more at those insane prices they charge.
• 2 weeks and some days until Broad Street. I'm feeling pretty ready. Let's hope the weather cooperates. Not like the 5mile race I have this weekend, with a forecast of 57 and thunderstorms :(
• I like my new office and things are going well. I'm excited that, as expected, my job will evolve and change in the future due to better technology. This makes me very happen as I welcome anything that increases efficiency.
• Guess who was rear-ended for the 4th time last week? Yup, me! Pissed is an understatement. I'm devising a plan to deter the tailgaters and save my bumper. Plan is still in the works
• Tanked is an awesome show on Animal Planet. I remember we had a fresh water aquarium when I was younger. I always felt so sad for the fish who were obviously dying. We had a pretty good size algae sucker fish who mysteriously disappeared one day. We were mystified until a few weeks later we saw a dried up tail sticking out under the bottom of the aquarium stand. He jumped ship tank!
• Some great finds at Sephora this past weekend. I'll share those in another post.
• What is up with these ridiculous airline prices? $600+ got me a round trip direct flight to Dublin last September. What I'm seeing now will cost me $1200. Ugh. Glad I went when I did.
• Apparently in France political TV ads are forbidden. Lucky them. Wish we had that in this election year.
• Smoking is disgusting. Have I mentioned that lately? Maybe the robotic voice box commercials of people with holes in their throat will convince a few to quit. From what I smell, it isn't any of the people living near me.

Wednesday Randoms

A very busy Wednesday today... but not so busy I'd forget my WRs!

• Spring time means I've been noticing the beautiful Canada geese scoping out some nesting spots. One pair picked a little ledge in the grassy area near the 476 on-ramp. It's up on a hill, but once those little fuzzies are hatched, mama goose will need to be absolutely diligent when supervising so they don't waddle into traffic. Another pair picked the most perfect spot on the side of a pond I pass on the way to work everyday. Good for them. I look forward seeing the babies in a few weeks
• Speaking of the feathered friends, my birds are singing and so content lately. It' easy to be a proud parent when your children are so happy and well behaved (and also make beautiful music!)
• Got my Cake Pop baking set! Also picked up some chocolate and sprinkles and I can't wait to make a batch. I'll be sure to include some pics when I do. And you know I always follow up and keep my word.
• Well, reminiscent of my WRs from last year, Broad Street 2012 will be soon upon us! Having done this last year, I know what to expect and I'm much less concerned about the training. Less is more, I feel. Over training leads to injuries and wasted time. Got a 5 mile run at VF coming up next Sunday. I'll see how I fare and then make a call on whether I want to give the half marathon a shot at the end of May in Philly. Otherwise, I'll have to wait until fall, which allows several months to slack and fall off the training plan. We'll see.
• Can Pennsylvania pleeeease get its act together and bring back the Pizza Hut lunch buffet?? It would really make my day to pay $5 and show up weekly at a most delish buffet.
• Trader Joe's has this salad with an amazing ginger dressing. It's called the super spinach salad, or something like that. Some quinoa, tomatoes, chickpeas, beans, and lots of baby spinach. Might need to get another one tomorrow.
• When is Rock Center on NBC going to let me guest host? I know I won't have the smooth delivery of BWill, but I'm sure after a few lessons I could figure the whole journalism thing out. Just don't make me laugh.
• Vacation time is coming up. Need an awesome getaway!
• 'Sick of' List:
• The Kardashians. Again! We're sooo sick of you. ALL of you.
• Jennifer Hudson and her singing Weight Watchers commercials. We get it. You were fat, you stopped eating, and lost weight. What a concept! We don't need to hear you singing about it every other commercial.
• Hitting every red light on the way to work. I've analyzed my route and thought I had it figured out. Hmm.
• People who lack common sense. There are way, waaay too many of them.
• The big thank you of the week goes to Zyrtec, Flonase, and the inhaler which have reduced my allergies to a mere nuisance instead of a roadblock in my daily life.

FMK

Thought I'd change it up and act like a real blogger, instead of just giving my weekly WRs (admittedly, they've been pretty weak recently. Oops.)

Looking at the title, I know what you're thinking. Nope, those three letters don't stand for "F*** My (hmmm... what could that K stand for?)"

Nope. Not it.

If you're part of a select group of people who spent 4 years jostling between the borders of Philadelphia and Montgomery County, a group forced to take 9 mandatory credits of Theology and Philosophy, and had these 3 letters represented on several lines of your college transcript, you know what it stands for.

Food Marketing (or FMK to those in the know) at St Joseph's University. A pricey degree that I really didn't enjoy earning, which still proudly sits behind the couch, in the envelope I received it in, the day of graduation a decade ago. That's a whole 'nother blog entry, the thoughts of a college do-over. I now work in an industry doing a job that's completely irrelevant to what I went to school for and it's going swell. No sarcasm there. I found myself a real sweet gig.

That's not to say I don't hold some kind of quasi-expertise in the almighty FMK subject matter. Allow me to share some wisdom. Subject matter: That behemoth of a grocery shopping experience also known as Wegman's, which opens near me in less than a month.

Can we say overwhelming? If you've never been to one, look at their website. YouTube some videos (I love turning nouns into verbs in this tech age). There are so many departments within departments, I couldn't find something as simple as a single chocolate chip cookie without viewing their 'by the pound' cookie bar selection this past weekend while visiting a Wegman's in Jersey.

While impressive and varied, magnificent and flawlessly maintained, I can't help to think the average family is not gonna be down with rollin up to the local madhouse Wegman's on a weekend to tackle the regular weekly shopping. It depends what demographic we're focusing on though; the 30-55yr old business man won't want to pull into the gourmet food circus on a Friday afternoon coming home from work to pick up hot dog buns and iced tea. The retired couple in their 70s will probably fall over looking at the prices in the prepared foods section, assuming they're on some sort of fixed income. The people most likely to really get on board are those like me- people in their 30s and anyone else with some disposable income to throw around and the word 'foodie' on their personal resume.

It has to cost some big bucks to keep the machine running. Food costs alone are insane, and that's coming from personal experience maintaining a weekly ledger when I worked in a bakery for several years. Unless your ordering and prediction of consumer purchases are spot on (and you're a part time psychic) you're writing off a chunk of that to the dreaded column known as 'shrink'. Loss. Waste. You not only waste ingredients, you waste the labor it costs to wash/chop/cook/bake/decorate/ship these products. I remember a boss of mine, a nice but completely scatterbrained woman, botching an order one Christmas and us throwing out about $700 worth of cakes. Not just $5 generic chainstore cakes, these were costly french pastry items that took time and money to create. It was a total mess, and a complete shame.

This isn't a prediction that Wegman's won't do well. Obviously they choose their locations carefully and keep expanding, so something is working for them. From a food marketing standpoint, and considering the economy is still limping from injuries sustained in 2008, what effect will farmer's markets, co-ops, and home gardens have on giants like Wegman's? Gas is nearing $4 a gallon. The middle class have become cost cutting connoisseurs the past few years. Is there some extra scratch in the bank to splurge on 8 varieties of hot wings, pre-cut veggies for grilling, and all the other extras which makes Wegman's stand out from the other not-so-fancy competitors?

Stay tuned... I'm not finished with this topic yet

Wednesday Randoms

• Hooked on River Monsters on Animal Planet. This cable thing isn't turning out to be too bad. Lucky for me, I have self control
• Finnnnnnally got my Cake Pop baking supplies! #YES Now I just have to wait and make them at a time where I won't be forced to eat them all myself
• New office location this week. Pretty happy with my setup, but recognizing the all too familiar atmosphere of the 'corporate office' (useless chitchat, inability to hide/avoid group functions). I knew I had such a gift the past 2 1/4 years off the grid. It was probably the most peaceful 2yrs of work I'll ever experience in my life
• Back on track for Broad Street. Looking to do 7mi this weekend. A new pair of shoes was in order. Still pissed I wasted the $$ on the Saucony pair, which I'll obviously still wear, but not for running.
• Craving some dark chocolate covered coconut eggs. Maybe it has to do with the Easter Bunny commercials I keep seeing every day...
• Waaay late on doing my taxes. That's what happens when you do things yourself. Put them off til the last minute. Just checked and I did them on April 9th last year. Maybe I'll do the same this year. You know, for shits and giggles.
• Time to start thinking/planning for vacation!
• I don't care how good the commercials make it look, I'm not eating seafood from the Old Country Buffet. Yes, you remember my snobby ways with seafood. 
• I love the antics the Today Show and GMA are pulling to outdo each other in the ratings. Today Show always get my vote, hands down.

 

Wednesday Randoms

Good grief. Wednesday already!

• So guess what? The demons, also known as the Condo Association, apparently have voted to make cable a mandatory "amenity" of living here. Hmmm... an amenity that I didn't want or agree to that will now cost me an extra $420/year! UGH! (On a side note, I will admit to watching True stories of the ER, Hillbilly Handfishin, Couples Therapy, South Park, and some 48 Hours Mystery since it was installed at 5pm today. Don't judge. I also spent an hour at LA Fit at Bodyworks class.)
• Sick. Of. Trayvon. Enough already. This better stop or else Sublime with Rome better brush up their skills for a follow up to "April 29, 1992 (Miami)", cause that's what they'll do next.
• There is a really good product called Flatouts. It's a thin, wheat, oblong sort of tortilla flatbread thing. It's light, good for you and pretty versatile. www.flatoutbread.com There's a free plug, Flatout. #yourwelcome
• Moving to a new office location next week at work. Same job, just moving to the central hub, in the midst of the fray. I know exactly how that's going to go.
• Can't wait to set up my garden box this weekend. Then I'll be growing all sorts of delicious herbs.
• The chocolate chip cookies from Whole Foods are sooooo good.
• I like that reporters on the news all have their Twitter handles on display. It came in handy last week when I told the guy on NBC10 to ditch the winter clothes and bust out the spring colors on a 80* degree. He replied, and took my advice.
• I love seeing all the Easter stuff at stores. Target has an especially nice display this year.
• Hmmm... that new no-texting law in PA is doing... not much. I still see people everyday on 76 and 476 texting away.
• Sur la Table has some really amazing things in their spring catalogue. Check out their website. I really want to take one of their cooking classes this spring/summer

Wednesday Randoms

Another WR means we're on the downhill to the weekend! Hooray!

• If this mild winter is really to blame for the suffering I'm now enduring, I'd gladly hit rewind on the magical universe clock and battled a horrible winter. Allergies right now are k-i-l-l-i-n-g me. Seriously, it's not fun anymore. I had none of these problems last fall and once the ball dropped on Jan 1, it seemed everything just starting getting worse. It's interrupting my training for the 10mi run in May and I'm not very happy about it :(
• On to a happier subject- food! Yes. I love my food. I believe I mentioned Cake Pops in an earlier post, and now I'm jonesing to scoot on down to my local Bed Bath&Beyond to get me a cake pop pan and all the goodies that go along with it. I don't want to make them for myself; I'm really looking forward to bringing them to some picnic or party with perfectly themed decorated little cake lollipops. Delish!
• Hot hot topic out of Florida with the shooting of the (black) teenager by a (Hispanic) neighborhood watch volunteer. Yikes. I'd be very worried about this 'Stand Your Ground' law. Someone just threw a drum of gasoline on the race war fire.
• This week marks my 3 year anniversary of #tweeting. I only know this because my 'joined on' date is listed on my profile- I didn't secretly commit my Twitter sign up to memory... although I enjoy it that much it wouldn't be a bad thing to remember... but still weird... okay, next bullet.
• Job2 is picking up a little. I'm still keeping it manageable, but it's nice having the extra $$ roll in. Got me eye on a new spring/summer bag. Longchamp, perhaps? We'll have to see. I've never been a huge Coach fan, but they do have some cute things in the new lineup
• With some quick calculations I figured I've saved about $7,680 since I bought my place by never getting cable. Ching! #gome
• Because of the above statement, I'm now watching American Idol while blogging... Saving money, lacking choices. Oh well. JLo is really annoying. More annoying than Ryan Seacrest.
• www.houzz.com is addicting! I challenge anyone to spend less than 10min surfing the site
• I'm really craving that lobster sandwich I had at the Mermaid Inn in NYC on my birthday weekend with PG. It was so delicious. Food reference again. Not surprising. I hope I dream of a lobster dinner tonight.
• Got a palette of Smashbox shadows for my birthday and I love them! It's the one for hazel eyes and although it's all shimmer and no matte, the color is true and lasts the entire day (with a base application of Too Faced Shadow Insurance, of course).
  
  That's all for now... until next time!

Wednesday Randoms

Hello Wednesday

• 3 straight days of 70deg weather and outdoor workouts for me! Global warming, what-ever. This type of thing in March absolutely delights me!
• I've confirmed by a trip to the allergist I have very a severe allergy to cats, dogs (I knew both of those, sadly) and several types of mold. Hmmm. Considering there are thousands of mold spores in the air everywhere, I'm pretty much screwed this spring. Let's hope some Flonase does the trick.
• The champagne mango I bought at Whole Foods last week was amazzzzzzing! Thank you Mexico for producing such fantastic fruit.
• After seeing some recipes online today, I'm even more excited about cake pops! I saw the cake mold at Bed Bath & Beyond this weekend and they look soo good, in addition to having a million ways to decorate them! I'm secretly hoping there's some kind of party or girly occasion where I can volunteer to make a couple dozen of these.
  Check out the cake pops
• In my opinion, if you have really nice, naturally curly hair, and you're a guy... let it grow! I know a certain someone who has such amazing hair. Love it
• I have a pair of cherry red pants, and I really want a pair or green or yellow ones. Yellow might be tough to pull off (black shirt=bumblebee), but I might give it a try
• All this hype over The Hunger Games movie... I don't get it. I was all into Twilight, but I couldn't get into this book last summer after I started reading it. Maybe I'm just not a fan of the idea of kids competing to the death in some stupid game.
• Did you know if you don't have cable you get about 5 Jesus channels/Christian music stations all the time? There are also some crafty and cooking shows that are pretty cool. Oh, and reruns of All in the Family.

Wednesday Randoms

I'm back!Looks like this will really need to be a fantastic WR post to compensate for the past 2 or 3 lackluster entries. I was feeling turrrrible last week. From my own expert diagnosis, I figure I had a cold that began sometime in late January, and slowly and quietly morphed into the most WICKED (not Wicked as in the fabulous Broadway show I saw in NYC. I'm talking the nasty, horrible, dreadful meaning of wicked) sinus infection I've had in years. Thankfully some antibiotics have kicked that out of the way and I'm almost back to my energetic self.

Time to get started

• I'm trusting doctors less and less. The few times I go in because of a sinus infection or something else not super urgent, they look at me like I'm nuts and with that look of "Ohhh..you're fine". This time my temperature wasn't even taken! Yeah, I look fine, but that doesn't mean I'm fine. Can't stand them!!
• Ever get the feeling you have to double check everyone's work? Like, you think you should be able to trust the person at the doctor to send your e-script to the correct CVS pharmacy even when you tell them the exact address.
• S.O.S. - Sick of Snooki!!
• If you haven't watched the show Shark Tank on ABC, it's really quite good, and you should tune in! It's not on at the best time (Friday 8pm), but if you're home sick and don't have cable, the options are slim.
• I was really missing Oprah those few days on the couch. I was relieved to see there is still a special place on daytime TV for Jerry Springer. Jerry's final thought is still such a source of inspiring, thought-provoking wisdom. #sarcasm
• Used my sick time to read Tina Fey's book Bossypants, a birthday gift from a friend (Thanks C). Quite funny, raw, honest, and telling way more than anything I'd ever share in a book. It spent a few weeks on the bestseller list, so go Tina.
• Have I ranted about smoking lately? No. I haven't. I've been too sick to rant, remember? My little sinus issue caused my hearing and sense of smell to be uber sensitive, so the stanky, stale smell I typically loathe was even more present when I got a whiff while sick. Raise the price! Ostracize anyone who partakes in this filth! I'm sick of it!!
• I love it when celebs/cool people reply back on Twitter! Example is the lovely British makeup artist and creative genius Lauren Luke- she follows my blog after I tweeted her my blog site. Her looks are amazing and I wish I had a job which required me to try those looks on myself every day. Some day... some day I will work a holiday season at Sephora or Ulta, just so I can play at work every day!!
• I find myself in a mental battle sometimes between what's good for me now, and what's good for me in 25yrs. I'm always one to lean towards the practical, conservative side. I know what I have going now will set me up nice in 25 years. What if I want to do something crazy for 6 months or a year some time between now and then? Ugh... I have better things to worry about
• If you've never seen the movie Death to Smoochy with Robin Williams and Ed Norton, you should. Nice, dry humor.
• There is a suuuper annoying girl on a Friendly's commercial that plays on NBC10 all.the.time. She has a squeaky voice and this slight overbite that can be endearing to some people, and straight up #%@ annoying to the rest of the entire viewing audience.
• Peyton Manning was really graceful and professional and all that other good stuff as he "resigned" from the Colts. I wonder if the crazy Colts fan we ran into in Vegas (who was mentioned in a prior blog post) is in a state of mourning now? Peyton was his boy!
• I'm sick of Christie Brinkley and her mudslinging with now ex-husband Peter Cook. Shut up already! Not sure if she's had work done, but she looks pretty fabulous for her age.
• All I know is I can't wait for flowers, sunshine, picnic food, runs outside, cruises in the car, and everything else that is spring/summer. Yessss!

Wednesday Randoms

Wednesday Randoms day and... I'm sick! :(
This only happens every 4 or 5 years and I am not a fun sick person.
I'm not feeling a post right now (writing this on the mobile site rather than the laptop because I'm too tired to go get it. Sigh
Thanks to modern medicine, I'll be better soon.
back to bed...

NYC!

Just a little entry to share what an AMAZING birthday weekend I experienced the past 2 days. Such careful and thoughtful planning on his part took me on a journey that began with one of my favorite local restaurants to enjoying balloons and a delicious lemon tart, then on a train to NYC, 2 servings of tweet-worthy pizza, a visit to the MoMA, an impressive and memorable seafood dinner, a king-sized Hilton hotel stay, fantastic brunch, a walk through Central Park, the Museum of Natural History, and a final big surprise- tickets to Wicked!!! Yessssss!!!

LOVED

EVERY

MINUTE

OF

IT

#cantthankyouenough

I've always wanted to be Dorothy for Halloween... but after seeing this, I might have to be Glinda!

Wednesday Randoms

This is going to be a quick one because I really don't feel that great, and I'm not feelin my WRs like I usually do. The blame can be pointed directly to this 'mild winter' we're experiencing, and the fact that my head has been serving as a barometer measuring in pain, pressure, and all around discomfort in my entire sinus region for the past month.

• People need to stop with their Facebook posts and run on stories of what they're giving up for Lent. Don't use religion as a cover for your need to hold yourself accountable for giving up a vice. Considering my current status of non-practicing Catholic, guess what I'm giving up? That's right. Nothing.
• Went to the dentist office for my twice a year cleaning. I love it. A bright, cheery, all-female-run office. The visit is pure delight, as I get to chit chat and leave with sparkly clean teeth. The stories they tell me of the others who come in however, are quite repulsive. How about a 14yr old kid who, during his 2 years of braces, never visited the dentist once. His mother blamed "a move" and "being busy" for the oversight. Hmmm. Guess what kind of lucky numbers young Johnny got served up when they finally paid the dentist a visit? 17 cavities! SEVENTEEN. To clarify, that's not 17 teeth having cavities, but 17 surface areas. Is their some sort of charge for parental neglect on this? (Didn't help that Gatorade was his drink of choice either) Hmm. Let me spend $3K on braces (which is not covered by insurance) only to pay a thousand more to drill and fill the cavities. Oh I'd last 1 day working in a dental office. Half a day, at best.
• Birchbox is awesome. And I got 6 months of it.
• Tomorrow's my birthday. My favorite day of the year. Yay! Looking forward to a fun weekend

Wednesday Randoms

• Happy day after Valentine's Day. Mine was fab-u-lous. Wonderful. Amazing. I couldn't ask for more. So grateful
• Happy Broad Street Run registration day, too. Oh...well... unless you're me and was able to register yesterday in about 3 minutes because I'm a Blue Cross member. It does suck for those who spent hours trying, I hear that. For those jamming up Facebook and Twitter with a million complaints though- there are plenty of half marathons out there for you to run. So shut your mouth, train to pull off an extra 3.1mi and sign up for one of those. #thanks
• Allergies are killllling me. Since NYE I've had on-off sinus pressure and annoying sniffles. It might have been the live Christmas tree in combination with the mild winter, which has failed to kill the allergens in the air. This is getting old. For real. I read somewhere that eating raw garlic can help. Not sure if I'm down with that, but I did add a generous clove to my angel hair pasta tonight. And don't anyone worry, I still love vampires  : )
• I love dog shows. Although it's never shown on network TV, I caught the highlights today and I can't believe that shuffling little mop of a dog beat that beautiful German Shepherd to win Best in Show! (btw, if you haven't caught the Christopher Guest mockumentary 'Best in Show', I suggest adding it to your list).Best in Show
• Thinking which cocktail I'll make my "signature" this summer. Last year it was the mojito. If you've never had one, you must stop depriving yourself of this Cuban creation bursting with fresh mint and white rum. So good!
• Chris Christie of NJ, you are an absolute fool regarding your decision to lower the flags in "honor" of a drug addicted former pop star.
• The trend with these obnoxious false lashes needs to stop (I'm talking to you Adele, Kardashians, etc) We know they're not real, and you end up looking even worse when the paparazzi snaps a pic of you sans makeup.

In closing, pretty excited to say the blog's been back in action for an entire year! February 2011 I decided to give it another go, and here we are 1 year (and a few vacations, runs, life changes) later, I'm still at it! I know the blog has faded a little to only WRs on given weeks... ok... the past few months, but I'll try to get back on it.

Wednesday Randoms * *

A few * *snowflakes* * are falling this Wednesday evening, the holy day of the Randoms. Very pretty end to the day.

• Has anyone ever wondered what it looks like when someone tries to cut off a funeral procession in traffic after the light changes? Ooohhhh boy, I saw it today, right on the border of City Ave. There must have been 50 cars and when the light turned green, and it was my side's turn to go, a few cars starting going, despite the procession that kept coming through, car after car. I think in some cultures this is a high level, you-done-offended-me-now type of move. Eek. Once I saw the guy in the back of the SUV put down his window, with his Phillies hat all crooked to the side, and start runnin his mouth... I was wondering if ducking was a wise move. The momentary drama fizzled, and I don't know who that was, but he/she had a ton of people going out to the cemetery on this 35deg day.
• On the topic of cars. Ever wonder why people are so hyped up about privacy in our society, yet put decals on their car specifically showing they have a mom, dad, 2 girls, a dog, a cat, and a fish in their family? Driving around for everyone to see, every day? It seems harmless enough, but I wouldn't want to advertise the details of my household inhabitants to the general public. TMI
• Every few years I'll be plagued by painful sinus pressure, bad enough it feels as if someone is trying to drill through the middle of my forehead. Thankfully a quick trip to Target today took care of that. Hopefully.
• Let's see who made the SYAD list this week...
• Giselle Bundchen. Just shut up and watch like the WAG you are.
• That lunatic from Washington state who killed his wife and then his kids and himself. I hope he's ready, because the seat he'll be sitting in will be lined with the fiery hot coals of hell!
• Conservative organization 'One Million Moms'. I'm glad Ellen mocked how hateful your agenda is.
• This story is fascinating, and I can't get enough of it. Where's House when you need him?
  Psychology is not really my thing, but how can there be no explanation for this? How can more than a dozen high school girls be affected by enough 'stress' to trigger these identical symptoms?
• Check out this link if you're a history buff, or just happen to really like looking at old pictures from the past. The people just looked different back then. Really cool pics http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2012/02/the-civil-war-part-1-the-places/100241/
• I need a get rich quick type of scheme. Maybe inventing an app for smartphones. I bet the creator of Angry Birds is sitting on a pile of money! Speaking of apps (and I just remembered this, the first sentence was not a segue), I saw a banner posted along the iron fence bordering a cemetery near my work that said something to the effect of 'they now have an app'. Hmmm. I may need to do another drive by to confirm that's what I saw. I did look on the cemetery's website, where displayed in the top corner- the ever popular Twitter and Facebook icons. Strangest thing though, because neither had any links connected to them (do these 2 icons come standard now with every website??) Check me out, I'm not lying

Sunny dreams

I had the most fabulous dream last night. I was in Ireland, driving up the Antrim coast and there was the most brilliant sunshine along the jagged cliffs. The water was the deepest shade of blue, the air was warm- about 70 degrees- and it so closely resembled one of the places I visited it was scary (well, in a good way). Imagine this picture, which I took while there this past October, in full sunshine with deep blue water. If I had some fancy photo editing program, I could recreate what I saw... but I'd much rather keep that for myself  : )

Wednesday Randoms

Hello 65* day. What a special treat for the 1st day of February (the great month of my birth)

• I just housed a bunch of Mexican food. Maybe it was the warmer temps that activated my craving for all things cheesy with sour cream and guac, but it was delish.
• Pretty sure I have the worst TV for watching the Super Bowl. I'm guessing if I threw a party (inviting people who obviously aren't familiar with my current setup) there would be a looottt of ticked off peeps. Hopefully the massive liquor selection would pacify their anger... maybe(?)
• Who needs to SYAD this week? I'll tell ya who
• Susan G Komen. Pink pink everywhere. You were the savior for all things breast cancer related until you started pulling stunts like this: Really? and this: Tsk tsk
  Maybe they should forget the fluff and marketing games and stop playing politics.
•  My smoking neighbors. I'm still concocting a plan to put an end to this. To be continued...
• All hospitals that make visitors pay for parking. It's bad enough in the city, but in the burbs?? Insulting.
• Arlene Ackerman. Damn right they denied your unemployment claim. SYAD
• Oh, and what's with all the "accessories" to the child abuse scandals dying off right before game time in court? Joe Paterno, Anthony Bevilacqua. Obviously they were old, sick, battling cancer... but I guess when you're faced up against some hard questions (which I'm betting they had full knowledge of and looked the other way)... maybe easier to just give up and die?
• Oh Mark Zuckerberg... you're gonna be even more filthy rich!
• Ordered some new running shoes and I can't wait until they get here! (Black with neon pink!)
• February... my favorite month. Valentine's Day and my Birthday! Two events I know will be fantastic this year.
• I can't wait until spring so I can visit my favorite farms, get a cone, watch the flowers bloom, and the little baby Canada geese running around the local ponds. I'd gladly campaign for more duck/goose crossing signs. I always make sure I look out for any feathered friends wobbling across the road. I may have almost clipped a few people recently (jaywalking, dressed in dark colors #notmyfault), but I'm careful with the animals.

This will do

 

Wednesday Randoms

• Presets 1 and 2 in my car are still set to 101.1 and 100.7. No... not because I like soft rock/love songs, but because they were the only 2 stations that played nonstop Christmas music which I listened to both on the way to and from work, thankyouverymuch the entire month of December. I've yet to change these presets back to their formerly cooler station, so they remain 1 and 2. Did anyone else realize Delilah is still on the radio?? Miss radio voice that's smooth-like-butter who listens intently to your romantic woes and picks out the perfect song for your situation. I'm convinced there are only about 15 songs in her arsenal, this being one I heard tonight

•  We wonder why this country has an obesity problem. Maybe it was the 8yr old girl I saw at the mall over the weekend, who was shoving ice cream and a soda into her mouth as her mother walked next to her. This girl was shaped like humpty dumpty and a glass of water and carrot sticks woulda done her good!
• Coincidence or small miracle? That's painful shoulder/arm irritation that's been plaguing me since last fall has almost disappeared. Maybe that kickboxing class I took last week jarred a few things around... who knows... I'm not complainin
• I know by the time Oprah was wrapping up her amazing show I was addicted to for the better part of 10yrs,  getting ready to sign off, she was in full swing with her 'No Texting' campaign.  I constantly pass people on 76 with phones in the air texting, I've been guilty of doing it at <25mph, but 70?? #askingfortrouble
• How about brownies with Thin Mint Girl Scout cookies put on top like icing?? Yes! Excellent idea!
• Note to self: When conducting surveys at bars for job 2.1, if you go to a tequila-themed bar/restaurant where a football game is playing on the big screen and the spectators are 5 Spanish-speaking men, you'll be sorry you didn't wear earplugs and try to convince yourself there's only 5 and not 55 people in the room. 
• Just in: 31 murders in 25 days in Philly. We're off to another record setting year. Oh, but Mayor Nutter's got "a plan"... Suuuuuure, that will solve it.
• Have you ever spotted any under 60 driving a really bad ass Jaguar?
• The season of the tennis majors is upon us. Go Roger!