A Green Thumb

Following the theme of my previous post, this one is for my friend (and Rach's sister) Jess. This is mostly because I'm always amazed at how she can plant anything in the smallest space. Seriously, you could walk out of her townhouse door and onto her little pathway and eat herbs right out of her containers scattered along the walkway. I've hemmed and hawed over wanting to plant something so I finally decided to take a page from Nike and "just do it". So to Jess' amazement I'm sure: I planted my very own herb garden! It was pretty fun at first but I don't like dirt it turns out so about halfway through, I was done. But I stuck with it and even made cute little name signs. So here is my beautiful garden! Are you proud Jess?? I do have to say that cooking will be much more fun now that I don't have to run to the store everytime I decide to make a recipe with an herb I don't have!

Green is the new black

Well the world has seemed to come full circle and it is increasingly popular to "go green". I'm a conservative girl but I can't resist a chance to do something good, especially if it means you get to buy cute bags* :). I decided that this post would be a shout out to my favorite aspiring locavore: Rach. Go check her out! So the reason this post is for her is because I started up my yearly tradition of getting my goods from our local farmers' market. I have always loved going to the farmers' market for fruits and veggies and I can't believe I waited this long this year to start! Well in my defense, I did go the very first day but there were only breads and stuff because the produce wasn't ready yet. But boy did I hit the jackpot today! I couldn't resist its beauty so here's a picture I took.

My finds were: tomatoes, green peppers, red onions, radishes, cucumbers, green beans, watermelon, canteloupe, peaches, sweet cherries, living lettuce (stays fresh so long!), jalepeno cheddar bread, tomato-garlic-chive bread, fresh feta and fresh applewood smoked mozzarella. Whew! And that's just what I bought. There was much much more to offer. So, just because it's fun, and really, you do not find food like this at the grocery store, here are a few pics I took up close of the prettiest produce. :)

*bags shown in picure are long handled EcoBags.

A bit of self discovery

So it occurred me today that I'm fairly certain that I suffer from a disease that doesn't clinically exist... I think that I have Shopping Bulimia. How on earth did I acquire this, and how do you treat something that doesn't exist? Sure enough, I go through spurts of binging and purging. I'll shop because I feel like it and stock up on stuff that I don't need or even remember weeks later. I will sometimes bask in the glory of a bag full of stuff and I feel prepared for anything. Then other times, I will feel cluttered and overwhelmed by my things and I will go on a major purge, often unloading up to a dozen garbage bags of donations onto those less fortunate, or my friends who don't suffer from my affliction. I think I even love this crazy transfer of things. I get just as excited when my friends comment on how they love when I clean because they get stuff as I do from walking in the door with my arms loaded with bags. This begs the further question: If I'm not on my way to debtors' prison, is this such a problem at all? Does it really matter if I like to shop and then to minimize? Probably. I think I'll try to eliminate some of the chaos and search for a happy medium. On a supremely healthy note, I am fully aware that if I was not blessed with people in my life who make me happy and whole just by being there, my things would not have the whimsical effect that they do now. I do know that the stuff doesn't make the girl. :) Now, off to purge (just a little).

Beach Bum

Well we're back from our fabulous week in the Outer Banks. I'll post later with the details and pictures but first for those who know me I thought I'd amaze you. I was a total beach bum! I lived in my bathing suit and lounge clothes with no makeup except mascara if I went out! Below is my beach bag with my beach essentials. In it you will find: Beach towel, book (of course), Coppertone Sport spf 15 spray, Alba Botanica spf 20 facial sunscreen, big floppy hat (just say no to wrinkles!) bottle of water and flip flops. That was basically my whole trip in a bag! Back later with more tales including our trouble on the high seas!

The Job Hunt

Well not too much is new. I have been enjoying some time off while I'm working part time and have tried to catch up with what seems to be 2 years worth of sorting, cleaning, trashing and organizing! I'll post pics of the bedroom once I get it in order. Those who know me will understand what a difference it is. I was seriously thinking of applying for disaster relief for a while ;) I've been reading for fun and cooking almost every night which I think Justin has enjoyed the product as much as I've enjoyed the process. I actually made chocolate chip cookies from scratch yesterday!

The biggest thing (and PAIN) right now is my full time job search. I've been looking everywhere (or so it seems) and it is getting frustrating. My degree is in history, which is difficult to find a job in so I've broadened my net. Even still, I haven't had much luck with my searches. I'll keep at it, I'm sure something will surface. The sooner the better though because I'm trying to move by the end of summer. We're actually thinking about moving to Charles Town, WV. AACK!! I know I know. But we could save some SERIOUS money by commuting the extra 45 minutes. So that's that. I'll try to come up with some more interesting things to blog about but for now, it's off to cook dinner. Jess- I'm making the chicken, rice, mushroom, brocolli casserole you taught me! And some banana pudding with the 'Nilla wafers: yuck, but that part is for Justin.

Britney may not be crazy after all...

Okay, well she probably is. But they say you don't know about someone until you walk a mile in their shoes. Well in my case it was more like hair. I recently had hair extensions as a fun experiment as a guinea pig for my stylist friend. They were long and fun and I enjoyed my month with them. Then, removal time came. We spent more time getting them out than in (4 hours!!) It was PAINFUL and sooo tedious. I asked numerous times if she would shave my head just to get it over with. That's when the lightbulb went off in my head that Britney wasn't crazy to shave her head, she just had hair extensions!

In other news, Steph at Adventures in Babywearing is holding a contest for a CD that my friend Scott's band made. It's a children's CD called Soundzania and it's super fun! Anyone with kids or shopping for a unique and fabulous kids present should go check them out!

Despicable!

Okay, I am not a Survivor fan, I don't follow the seasons despite my sad love of reality tv. BUT, I happened to catch one episode in which Yau Man won a truck and upon winning, gave his prize to Dreamz, who did not own a car of his own. He did this on the condition that if they were both in the final four and Dreamz had immunity, he would give his immunity to Yau Man. Dreamz accepted and said he "swears to God" that he would keep his word, as if his word meant anything at all. He went on in a private interview saying that he would want his son to be a person who keeps his word so he would of course keep his own. So as you might have assumed, this exact event took place and Dreamz, being the scum that he is, did not give his immunity to Yau Man. This to me crosses a whole new line of strategical play. Can you really "survive" with no regards to your integrity? A person's integrity is one thing that you can never get back. Everyone makes good and bad choices but when you sell yourself out, on national tv no less, you show zero regard for yourself and certainly no regard for others. I wonder how Dreamz can sleep at night knowing that he has lost his most basic instrument of humanity. So congratulations Dreamz, on your truck, I hope you and your empty soul enjoy it.

The traitor himself.

Goodbyes Stink :(

My good friend Jess is moving to Kansas on Saturday and I spent the afternoon with her today for the last time! I think I've taken for granted all of our times together as it has always been so easy to hang out. We met 7 years ago on our first day of college when I had just graduated and she had just gotten married. We've been through so many big times together including the birth of my favorite munchkin Ella. I'm gonna really miss them! Hopefully I'll be out to visit in the fall so I can see the new place! I'll also be blogging more regularly so that we can keep each other easily informed of our lives. So check back for frequent postings! Good Luck Jess, Bob and Ella!

Me giving Ella an airplane ride!

Giving Thanks

I have recently started a Gratitude Journal. Every night before bed, I write down what it is that I am most grateful for that day. I think it's really easy to take all that we have for granted, so I felt it was important to remind myself each day. I hope all of you are having a wonderful holiday today with your loved ones, enjoying good food and good memories. In the spirit of the holidays, I decided I am going to post a list of the silly things I'm thankful for, as we all know the really important things. So this is just for fun. What are some of your favorite things?

These are a few of my favorite things:
the crackle of a real fire in the fireplace, the smell of cookies baking, my sweatshirt blanket, flannel pjs, red gummy bears, when my bird presses his wing to his cage for a pet, dinner and movie with the whole family, hearing my friends' ringtones on my phone, e-cards, an overloaded bookshelf, louis legs on furniture, shimmery eyeshadow, kit kats, old photographs, cheesy American song/photo compilations that make me cry, really cold diet coke, Christmas music by the "greats", southern charm, crisp white wine, high thread count sheets, board games, chicken burritos, pink nailpolish, high heels, opening stockings last on Christmas, the fact that Disney World is still magical to me, shiny lipgloss, lunch breaks, making others smile, tv shows on dvd, fun movies where no thinking is required..only enjoying, seeing the bright side of anything, girls nights out, lists, cool pens, funky earrings, and most of all... knowing that I have a fabulous life full of fabulous people and appreciating that everyday. :)

Right and Wrong

I try to make it a conscious point to always do the right thing. I know that I have very strict rules that I live by but thinking about them got me wondering... How do we know what the "right" thing is? What do you think is the difference between right and wrong? And is there a clear right and wrong for everything? I know that when you get nit-picky, some things are right for some people and wrong for others but I'm talking about the very basic code of morals and ethics. If there's a line, what is it, and where does it start to branch out?

VOTE VOTE VOTE

Well I really hope everyone voted! I was at the polls at 6am sharp to cast my vote! Here is a copy of a myspace bulletin I sent out this morning around 7:

Don't forget it's election day which means everyone should be hitting the polls! It doesn't matter which way you vote, only that you do. I know a lot of people will say "I don't have time to vote", or "I don't feel like going to vote". Instead, I ask you to think of it this way: Would you ever say "I don't have time to be an American today" or "I don't feel like appreciating everyone who has died to protect my rights"? If you're abstaining for a legitimate reason, than ignore this post, but please don't let laziness or lack of interest keep you from taking 30 minutes out of your day once a year to do your duty as a citizen of the best country in the world. I know that last part was biased, but so am I. But seriously, GO VOTE!!

“Always vote for principle, though you may vote alone, and you may cherish the sweetest reflection that your vote is never lost.”-- John Quincy Adams

The fun thing is that one of my friends copied my bulletin and reposted it so all his friends would read it too! So hopefully everyone got out there. If I got my butt out of bed at 5:45 after staying up late to study and then went to class all day then everyone else should have too. We all know I love my sleep! So SHAME on anyone who was just lazy and had no good reason not to go.

On a lighter note:
I thought I'd share a fun election related tidbit. Ever wonder how the political parties got their symbols? Well thanks to Wikipedia now you will know!

"The mascot symbol, historically, is the elephant. A political cartoon by Thomas Nast, published in Harper's Weekly on 7 November 1874, is considered the first important use of the symbol. (1874 Nast cartoon depicted GOP as an elephant demolishing the flimsy planks of the Democrats)" *cartoon is on Wikipedia if anyone is interested in seeing it.

"The jackass was born in the intense mudslinging that occurred during the presidential race of 1828 as a play on the name of Andrew Jackson, the Democratic candidate. Jackson had been called "Andrew Jackass," and the defiant Jackson adopted the nickname."

He really was a jackass, he's by far my least favorite President, mostly because of the Trail of Tears. But that's another blog.

A Random Silly Thought

So this is a really silly topic but one that I bet a few of you (ahem Jess and Rach) may relate to. I've noticed on many an occasion that the women in all of our girly books have TERRIBLE fashion sense! I don't know if any of you watch Sex and the City but this reminds me of when Berger (I think it was Berger) put his main character in a scrunchie (Carrie: "a SCRUNCHIE?!?!). What is up with this? I am reading a Rachel Gibson book right now in which her leading "hot stuff" lady was wearing a navy blue turtleneck, navy blue blazer, black jeans, and black ankle boots!!!!!! Come on! How is any part of that outfit okay, much less as an ensamble? This offender was just the one that pushed me over the edge, I have read many a book with a banana clip, or other dorky mismatched outfits. Why you may ask do I care what the leading lady in my current read is wearing? Well I really shouldn't. But I like to relate to my character, I like to get lost in the book and feel like the character could be me. And just as I'm easing into the story, I'm halted abruptly by some heinous crime of fashion. I'm not trying to make this seem any less silly than it is, but it is a recurring instance. Has anyone else thought this or am I a lone nit-picker on this one? :)

By the way, I saw Marie Antoinette and really liked it, what did everyone else think? It reminded me a little of my favorite movie "Elizabeth". And I saw Poseidon tonight on dvd. Hated it. I have my reasons but it would ruin the movie to tell them. Not that there's much to ruin. Any contrary thoughts?

What?? Could it be a....POST??

Okay I haven't posted in a month, I'm a slacker. I don't have tons of readers though so I'm sure it's no big deal. Anyway, not much is new. Just school and work, school and work. I'm sure some of you heard about the shooting that happened earlier in October outside of Safeway in Sterling. The guy that was killed was my friend from high school, Chris. It was so sad to read that news. He was such a great guy and I know he's in a better place but I feel just awful for his family. Things like that make you really appreciate the all the good things about life. Speaking of a great life, I had the most fabulous girl's night though last night with Jessy in Old Town Alexandria. After work, we ran to her house, got changed and hopped on the metro to King Street. Not knowing about the free "Dash" bus that takes you down to near the waterfront, we hiked the probably mile and a half in the COLD down to Ramsay House and went on the Graveyard Ghost Tour. Soooo much fun!! We were frozen and numb by this point so we were fine with the one hour outdoor walking tour. I highly recommend going on it. My goal is to be one of the tour guides so if I do, be sure to come on my tour! We then walked to Pat Troy's, a charming Irish Pub with live Irish music every night! Jess- you know I was thinking about the Gallaghers! We sat up in "President Reagan's Corner" which any who know me understands just how fabulous that was to find. We ate the best chicken pot pie ever and drank a big glass of Harp's. We clapped and sang along with the Irish songs and took our pictures which I'll post as soon as Jessy emails them to me. What a blast it was! We jumped on the Dash bus and got on the Metro back to Jessy's house. Well it wasn't that smooth going, we did pick the wrong line in our excitement to catch a warm train right away, but we quickly amended the situation and were on our way! We then got into some comfy pj's watched 2 episodes of King of Queens and finally when I couldn't keep my eyes open any longer, I crawled into the freezing guest room and got all cozy under the best down comforter ever. At least it was last night. Thanks for having the best guest room bed Jessy! So that about sums it up. I will try to post more loyally. I know Graham, you lose readership if you don't post!! Hope everyone is well and lovin life! -A

Allie Post Says...

Okay I am probably elevating my status to first class nit-picker but people these days have a SERIOUS lack of manners! I was inspired to write this during class yesterday when I had to strain to hear my professor's lecture. Why you ask? Because a girl decided to BLOW HER NOSE, quite audibly for at least a minute right in the middle of class! I asked myself, why on earth would anyone think that it is acceptable to do such a thing and quickly answered my own question by remembering that I am dwelling in a tactless generation. Okay maybe that's a little dramatic, but come on, why don't people care about being polite anymore? So I decided to make a list of things that one should never do in public. They include: blowing your nose, flossing your teeth, brushing your hair, re-applying makeup (not to include lip gloss or chapstick), taking out or putting in contacts, kissing with tongue, talking with you mouth full, falling asleep, and talking on speakerphone. I'm sure there are a lot more I could think of but that's a good starter list. I think a good rule of thumb is if you generally do it in a bathroom or a bedroom, it should stay there. Oh and if you sneeze, do cover your mouth and nose, that's just foul. Am I being ridiculous to feel this way? Are we living in more relaxed times or do I have a right to expect more from people's public demeanor?

Do unto others...

So I try to make it a point every day to do something nice for someone else. Well during the premiere of Grey's Anatomy tonight (woo-hoo! Season 3!) I saw a commercial for Liberty Mutual that was just fabulous. I put a link to it below so go check it out. So this is my petition to everyone to consciously do 3 nice things for someone else each day. It can be someone you know really well, or it can be a complete stranger. The only rule is that it has to be nice and selfless. Remember, it doesn't have to be a big thing, a really easy and overlooked thing to do is simply give someone a compliment. We think nice things about people all the time, so from now on, tell them! I'm going to implement this starting tomorrow, who's in with me? :) --A

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=76h8jbjZqOI

Bad Luck Party Guest!

An interesting little tidbit I thought I'd share:

Abraham Lincoln's son was invited to the assassinations of three U.S. Presidents:
The night that his father was shot, Robert Lincoln was invited to accompany his parents to the theater. He declined. When President Garfield was shot in a Washington, D.C. train station in 1881, he was present at Garfield's invitation. When President William McKinley was shot in 1901 at the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, New York, Lincoln was present at McKinley's invitation. Although Robert Lincoln was not an actual eyewitness to any of these assassinations,
after McKinley's death, Lincoln let it be known that he wanted no further invitations from any US president. Three presidents had unknowingly invited him to be present at their assassinations. Interestingly enough, Robert Lincoln would not have been able to attend these events had not the brother of John Wilkes Booth saved his life years earlier.

How crazy is that??

A little rant...

Okay, so I know this is silly and not exactly blog worthy but hey- "it's my blog and I'll post if I want to!" :) There is a professor at Mason who teaches right before one of my classes. Everyday when we enter the room, the board is erased except for a quote that he apparently writes on the board before each of his classes. The thing that is crazy is that he spells a word wrong about 50% of the time! So far I've seen "rymes" instead of "rhymes" and "locamotive" instead of "locomotive" etc. I know this is nit-picky but it REALLY annoys me that a college professor is not only spelling words wrong on a regular basis, but that he is PURPOSELY leaving these misspelled quotes on the board for all the other classes in the room to see! Am I being silly and overly critical or is it okay that I expect more from those providing us with higher education?

Shiver me timbers...America's Beloved Villains

So in my Caribbean History class, we discussed pirates today. While it only encompasses one lecture period, it turns out it is the sole reason many people enrolled in the course. This made me wonder: What is it about pirates that makes us love them? If you look at the facts it doesn't quite add up. Do we look highly upon murderers, thieves, and social deviants? Not quite. So why is it that when you throw in a black flag, a silly hat and a dark sense of humor, we swoon? Boys want to be them, girls want to be wooed by them. It's just odd. I know I may have invested more into this thought being a history major but that just leads to another question. How is it that pirates have been so interestingly portrayed throughout history? Well I am planning on doing more research on the topic, but in the meantime, if you're interested check out this article. It's a really good overview of pirates in general and begins to answer some of my posed questions. And if anyone wants to plan a trip to the museum let me know! -A http://www.examiner.com/a-218099~Museum_explores_appeal_of_pirates_in_pop_culture.html

This is some craziness!

I had quite a few friends on myspace post this link in a bulletin. Apparently, the manager of Texas Roadhouse in Chantilly tried to get the Fairfax County PD to pay the restaurant $9000 after the restaurant was temporarily closed after the two officer shootings earlier this year. Check out the story if you're interested. Seems pretty shameful!

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/11/AR2006091100964.html

Thank you

After the 5 year anniversary of September 11th, it seems that a lot of people have forgotten how important all the things our country does to keep us safe are. This isn't meant to be a political post as all my friends know where I stand on issues. But regardless of what your personal belief is of our president, or individual practices of our country, everyone needs to respect the people who defend our freedom everyday. The second we stop fighting for what America believes in, the lives of our fore fathers have been wasted. So do your part in changing the country by your vote, not a lack of support for the brave and brilliant people who support you from the front lines. Check out this video and think of it whenever you see a soldier or a veteran.

http://grouper.com/video/MediaDetails.aspx?id=892873
(only one minute long)