Random Raves

I love having time off from work, I'm getting caught up on so much stuff that you don't normally have time to do.

Redbox

has anyone else tried these things? They are amazing! It's basically a blockbuster/netflix vending machine. They are at a lot of 7-11's. I hadn't tried one because I used to have comcast on demand, and netflix, and streaming netflix, but since those things are gone, i decided to give it a shot. Basically you can rent a movie from the vending machine fro $1 a night. If you don't have time to bring it back, it charges you another dollar. After a certain amount of days (i think a month) if you still haven't returned the movie, it's yours to keep and they stop charging you. So far I have seen 3 movies and loved the idea that they cost me a total of $3. If there is one near you, I highly recommend it.

Movie/TV/Books

17 Again

That's right, I am reviewing a movie starring Zac Efron. He is so dreamy..... not really he just looks so GD young! It's impossible for me to have a crush. All in all I enjoyed the movie. It was extremely predictable and exactly what you would a expect. It was every 17 year old girl's secret indulgence movie... or maybe every 26 year old girls...

From the Foodie in Me

Tonight I went to a girl's night at my friend Becky's apartment. It was lots of girls hanging out, talking and consuming some great wine. We got on the subject of restaurant week and we went over some steak house recommendations. Becky was going to Morton's... which I like, but I like Prime rib even more. I think it's a flashback to the 50's. When me where men. No casual clothes allowed... I love it. I also recommended BLT Steak. It's loud and posh, but a lot of fun. The food is really good, but a bit of a spin on your classic steak.

Furlough Day 3

Today I cleaned out the basement.


This is the before picture. Stuff stacked everywhere, laundry baskets anyplace you could put them, boxes upon boxes... ugh...

This is the after picture. Neatly stack boxes, baskets are neatly places, bags are hanging from the walls... places to store things. empty trash bin...

And this is my pride and joy. If you follow my blog you know that I have to have my towels folded a certain way. I'm a little bit OCD about my linens. I unfolded, then refolded all the sheets and towels on this shelf... loves it!

First Week of Freedom

Woo!

I'm thinking that my company totally could have just made everyone take a pay cut equal to the amount of our furlough time off, but they gave us the time off as well.
I'm enjoying my freedom from work by getting things accomplished.

Extreme Makeover: Bathroom

So, you all know that I have moved into a great new house. I'm really excited about having some things that I didnt have in the apartment. Namely, a backyard and a washer and dryer.
I defiantly want to make my new place feel like a home, versus just a place I sleep.
I started with my bathroom. I originally wanted to start with the living room but the bathroom is a smaller space to cover. I painted it from an off white to a yellow. I actually mixed 2 paint cans together to come up with this color. It was a lot of fun, and I accomplished all this in one day!

This is a shot of the entryway to the bathroom. It's a tiny area. I picked up the shower curtain at Walmart for about $10. I brought it with me from the old apartment I lived in. There is actually a glass door behind the shower curtain leading to the shower. I enjoy the personal detail a shower curtain brings though, not to mention glass doors aren't welcoming. funny story about this particular curtain. I bought it 2 years ago. I picked it out myself, brought it home and put it in. I took a step back to admire it and that's when it hit me. It is the EXACT same shower curtain my mom hung in her bathroom in Texas. I have officially become my mother.

So this is a temporary fix until I have more time to dedicate to the sink. Basically the wood cabinet under the sink is gross and peeling. it really needs to be ripped out and something new needs to go in. But since it's not likely that the management company will do that, I covered the bottom of the sink in fabric. I added some ribbon touches to match the ribbon in the shower curtain.

I love this shelf. I picked it up at Marshall's 3 years ago. It's a simple basic white shelf that has really lasted me. I added some candles on top for a decorate touch. Another simple way to make your bathroom have that finished look, is to have a nice matching hand towel set. Mine are purple, I got them at Macy's on sale for $10.

This mirror originally had a wood frame. I painted it. You want to make sure to tape off the inside of your mirror when you paint. You can also see the reflection of my picture framed postcards! (www.craftsbytina.com)

You can find these cubbies just about everywhere these days. I think I picked this one up at target. I also love the bins that go in them, perfect for hiding things you dont want showcased. Since I don't have a lot of room in my bathroom I opted to drill this to the wall rather than put it on the floor. It gives me storage without taking up room.

This is facing the door. I hung a postcard in a different type of frame. Shh! Don't tell Annie! (it's her postcard). I also added an over the door hook hanger.

Voila! Instant new bathroom!

Craft of the Day

I’ve recently been debating starting a second blog about crafts. I think I really have enough ideas to make this happen.
Today is the first entry in my crafts blog. You can read it here: www.craftsbytina.blogspot.com.

From the Foodie in Me

Today I was running around getting some errands done. I was super thirsty but on my way home. I decided to stop by Safeway to grab some soda. Once there I realized I wasn’t really in the mood for anything carbonated. I looked thru juice case and stumbled across Minute Maid’s Pomegranate lemonade. I am in love. Look out Vitamin water, you have competition.

Weird Personal Fact of the Day

I LOVE school supplies! I mean I really love them. My favorite are the great deals you can get on crayola merchandise during back to school time. I honestly believe every household should have at least a 24 count pack of crayons, a box of markers, a box of color pencils, a package of construction paper, a bottle of glue, a glue stick, and a really good pair of scissors.

Today, I got a new box of Crayola crayons for twenty five cents!

I also got a 2 pack of elmers glue sticks, also twenty five cents. A new box of Crayola Markers for $1, Crayola water paints for $1.70 and a 12 count box of color pencils for eighty eight cents. You really can't beat those prices. Not to mention Crayola is the top quality in back to school supplies. Parents shouldn't be cheap, dole out the extra few cents for Crayola brand products.

Are You Ready for Some Football?!

I'm so excited that I got to watch my preseason game that I am posting during non work hours.
The Cowboys are facing the Titans tonight. A few things to comment on:

Jon Kitna- I'm fairly excited about this. After Romo broke his finger last year and we lost the games that he was out, I'm excited to know we got rid of Johnson and brought on a better QB. The guy is decent. Definitely better than what we had as a second string.

Receivers - I was really sad to see TO go. I really was. If nothing else, the guy is pure entertainment. Anyone else watching the TO show? It's f-ing awesome. The guy is actually fairly educated for someone that isn't a QB. If there is one thing I have learned from my years of football watching is that there is a reason the QB's are the only ones to give interviews...*cough cough Emmit smith cough cough**. We have Witten, who is a solid player, but he isn't a WR. I'm really excited to see Williams play. It's his first full year as a cowboy, I expect great things from him. He's a Cowboys fan, and from Texas, he needs to do the home state proud.

The Opponent- I love the Dallas Cowboys. I will always be a Cowboys fan, thru and thru. However, I like Vince Young. I know he's second string. I know the Titans had a 13-3 season with Collins as their QB... I don't car. I love Vince Young. He'll always be the guy who single handedly won the national championship to me.

Great Lines from the Game:

Jerry Jones is like the Fiddy Cents of football.

(Call made by official): Offsides: Everyone except the center.

It's a do-over, like you would have in street game. - Troy Aikman or Joe Buck (couldnt tell which)

I'm close enough (to the cheerleaders) to tell which are innies and which are outties -Fox sportscaster

The Stadium: It's completely P-I-M-P. Seriously, have you seen this thing? It's insane!! The largest screen in the world (High def, of course). The screen alone cost 40 million dollars. The ceiling is retractable. The place seats 80K with room for 100K. The team has to run thru screaming fans before they enter the field. Jerry Jones may be the new axis of evil, but I just don't care. The man knows business.

I'm really excited for this years team...

Everyone is Copying Me!

I had two friends start blogs yesterday.
They are now in my blog list, so check out:

www.agwebb.blogspot.com
and
www.rachel-crosby.blogspot.com

Work Stuff

Yesterday I was sitting in the lunch area and one of the partners came by and said he didnt have a babysitter for his kids. I told him I knew someone, and I could pass her name along. He ended up calling her and everything worked out for her to sit.
Today he stopped by my desk and handed me a thank you note, which was totally unnecessary, but really nice. He also included a giftcard to Starbucks. I just love when people do awesomely nice things. A thank you email would have been more than enough, but he went out of his way. Nice to be appreciated.

Planes/ Trains/ Automobiles

I miss having a car. I am driving Tamsin's car around right now, and I remembered just how much I love driving. In college I was always the girl giving people rides. Sisters would wake me up at 3am (or call me while I was sitting at Bruno's) and ask me to come pick them up from various places. I was always happy to do so. New Orleans is a wonderful place, but definitely not a city that you want to be walking around alone at night in. I was also the girl who you asked to take you on walmart grocery runs. I had a small SUV and I destroyed that thing. I roadtripped to Indiana, and it made several trips to and from Dallas. I have decided to buy another small SUV. November is looking like my purchase month. Although I desperately want a Jeep Wrangler, the sensible side of Tina tells me to buy something more practical. I'm thinking I might just buy another Kia, if not I also like the Jeep Liberty and the Nissan Extra. I'll keep everyone in the loop on my purchase.

TV/Books/Movie

Commercials. I HATE commercials. With the advent of TiVo/DVR I am amazed I ever sat thru them. I have a few friends that claim to like certain commercials. Although I agree some commercials are better than others, I still don't have a desire to watch any of them. My new roomie Katie shares this dislike, which I find refreshing. We sat down yesterday to watch jeopardy. Although we watched it live, she muted all the commercial breaks. I appreciated that. If you don't already have DVR/ TiVo, get it. Your like will be forever changed.

From the Foodie in Me

I have been on this major carrot cake craving for a few months now. It's the only dessert I want to eat. i have also decided, although I still like chocolate, it's no longer my favorite sweet, and I am not a huge fan of milk chocolate, I am a dark chocolate person thru and thru.

Here is today's recipes for carrot cake:
4 cups ground carrots
2 (15 ounce) cans crushed pineapple, drained
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
3 cups white sugar
6 eggs
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3 cups all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups raisins

Of course you have to frost it with cream cheese frosting. Serve and enjoy.

Hobbies

I have decided for Christmas and my birthday I am going to ask people to get me things from fabric stores, or gift cards to fabric stores. I desperately want an embroidery machine, but they are ridiculously expensive. The cheapest I have found is $300. I also want a dress mannequin. it would make certain sewing projects a WHOLE lot easier. Dress mannequins run about $150. I also want a cutting board. They run about $50, depending on the size. As you can see, my hobbies arent cheap.

Random Personal Fact of the Day

I'm a good laugher. I went to see my friend Anna do her stand up comedy bit at 11th Street Lounge. She was really good, but she commented that I was a good laugher. I have to agree. Sometimes people dont laugh because they feel self conscious about being the only one to think something is funny... yeah, not me. I can't help myself. Even things that are wildly inappropriate to laugh at... I still do. I am a laugher.

Blondes vs. Brunettes

Blondes vs. Brunettes

Yesterday I received an email from my friend Kristen inviting me to be a part of the DC area Blondes vs. Brunettes Powder Puff Football game. I was interested, but it's a somewhat of a time commitment. In the end I decided to do it. My sorority commitments mostly end (Rush is over) mid September, so after that things should calm down.
All the proceeds I raise will go to Alzheimer's research and prevention. You can read more about the charity here:

http://alz.kintera.org/faf/home/default.asp?ievent=321952

To make a secure donation please visit my donation site:

http://alz.kintera.org/bvbdc/tinacordova

Also, if you read my blog and have a blog yourself I would appreciate people directed in this direction. Alzheimer's is an awful disease. My grandmother was diagnosed with it. She passed away in 2005. All the money I raise is in her memory.

If you can't make a donation now, I am raising money thru game day: November 14th, 2009.
I would also love to see people out there on game day cheering on team brunette!

Fundraising Ideas

I'm still brainstorming some ideas for fundraisers for Blondes vs Brunettes (BvB). So far my ideas are a garage sale, a car wash, and a happy hour fundraiser. I'm open to suggestions of other ways to raise money and tips that anyone out there has from putting on their own events.

From the Foodie in Me

Cantina Mexicana
So far I have had food from just about every Mexican/ Tex-mex place in Arlington. I usually find that they are mediocre at best. I used to eat at El Paso cafe (which is where President Bush ate Mexican food). This place is better. The first sign of good Mexican is the salsa. Good salsa is more than just blended tomatoes and peppers. You have to add spices. Garlic and cumin are staples in a good salsa. This place lived up to the salsa test. I ordered the Monterrey plate. My dining companion had a chimichanga. The Monterrey came with 2 tostadas, one with melted cheese, the other guacamole. Also I had 2 cheese enchiladas, one tamale, and a taco. The tamale and the taco left something to be desired but the enchiladas were covered in a great red sauce. The guacamole was freshly made, and the queso was superb. My dining companion (Steve-o) was equally impressed with his meal. His chimichanga (like a burrito, but deep fried, and no veggies) was served with shredded braised beef. He was a fan. The prices are reasonable as well. If youre in the mood for good Tex Mex this is the place to be.

Movie/TV/Books

I haven't had the chance to do a lot of reading as of late because of the move. I did however get the chance to see G I Joe. Wow, just wow. This was a horribly, awful movie. HOWEVER, it was an entertaining sort of bad. Kind of like Fast and Furious. Tamsin and I chatted thru the entire movie. I laughed at parts that I shouldnt have laughed at, but I couldnt help myself it was that bad. I think were they messed up, is they tried to have a plot. It should have just been a lot of special effect, CGI, high speed car chases, and blowing things up. Basically I think Michael Bay needed to be the director on this film. Less talky more boom!

Weird Personal Thought of the Day

If I could be friends with any celebrity in Hollywood, like legit friends, I would choose Drew Barrymore. She just seems like she's fun and down to earth. She dates guys that no one else in Hollywood would date (Justin Long, Tom Green). She drinks, smokes, and makes out in public. She's my kinda girl.

I Washed My Hair with Shampoo this Morning

it's noteworthy because I havent done that in 3 days. I've been using bar soap, and body wash. I packed the shampoo and I still havent been able to locate it. I ended up buying a new bottle at safeway last night about 10pm.

The New House

I like the new place. It's starting to really feel like home now that I have put up some pictures and hangings on the wall. I think I will like living in a house. Next project: vegetable garden.

Weird Personal Fact

It's weird, but one of the things that I have had the most issues dealing with in the new house is the furniture. My roommates have nice pieces of furniture, but living with roommates creates for a modgepodge of random stuff. None of the woods in the living room match. It's crazy that I even care. But I really do. I need to get over it, and I'm making strides in this area. Woods, do not have to match.

From the Foodie in Me

I went to two AWESOME restaurants this weekend. I needed some time away from packing, moving, and unpacking, so I went out to eat on both Saturday and Sunday nights.

Saturday night I went to eat with Sarah. We decided on pizza. She told me about a great pizza place in Crystal City. It's on 23rd street in the strip of restaurants, Cafe Pizzaiolo.
This place is a real family type place. They have a table of board games for you to entertain yourself, or for you to entertain your children.

We choose to make our own pizza. We had mushrooms, artichokes, fresh tomato, spinach, and prosciutto. It was AWESOME. We chose the thin crust (it's my favorite) and it was just the right topping to crust ratio. All the toppings tasted really fresh off the vine. Next time you want pizza, try this place.

Tomorrow: Sunday's meal.

Day Laborers

I took last Friday off to move. My master plan was to move all the boxes and have only furniture to move on Saturday when people came to help. Well, I got the first set of boxes over to the new house and I was exhausted. I have an insane amount of stuff. I knew there was no way I could get this all done without killing myself. I made a change of plans. I rented a pickup truck, and headed to home depot. It was one of the weirdest things I have done in my life.

First of all all these men are standing on the corner, not unlike hookers. You drive up to them and roll down your window. You give them a price. You negotiate a bit, and describe what you want in detail. You get one or two guys, depending on your needs. You then drive them to your home and they do all the work. I spent $60, and was completely satisfied...
I just described buying a hooker/ day laborer.

Another "fun" part of this whole experience was the fact that these guys didnt speak English. I used to speak Spanish much better than I do now. I lived in Texas, you pretty much needed to know Spanish to survive there. In DC that isn't the case. We did okay, but I kept forgetting words that were simple Spanish 101 type words. After about hours 2 I started to do a bit better, and it started coming back to me a bit. Luckily, I could still understand everything they said. If you hire a day laborer I suggest you take someone who speak Spanish with you.

Decorating on a Dime

So, if you don't know. I love to decorate. I mentioned in yesterday's blog that I am painting the rooms in my new place and decorating with a lot of the home accessories I already have. One of my favorite ways to decorate is to reinvent pieces that I already own.

I'm already thinking of fabulous new ways to revamp my bedroom area. I also think I want a new fabulous color for it. I have decided a few things though. This blog entry is all about tips for various areas in my new house:

The Bathroom

I am extremely lucky in that I will have my own bathroom in the new space, however, it is tiny beyond belief. I'm going to have to be very creative when I start to revamp it. I think one of the ways I can do this is to choose a bright color for the space. I absolutely love color on my ways, you will never see me living with "Builder beige". I blame my mom. When we were little she would go out to home depot and scour the "leftover" paint bins. These were normally colors that people returned for one reason or another, or a color that was made on mistake. She'd bring it home and it would be the base of her new room design. This is how we ended up with a pink hallway one year. My dad, being the patient man that he is, never said anything about her crazy painting antics. I'm thinking my new walls will be orange. I have never painted anything orange before, so I might change my mind before I get there, but I saw a lovely orange room remodelingmyspace.com. I also dont have a tub in the bathroom but a shower with a glass door. I plan to remove the door and set up a bar for my shower curtain. I think it will add a more fem. touch to the bathroom. I'm also going with white fixtures and storage. I'll be sure to take some before and after pictures of my new space once I'm all done with it.

The Sun Room

One of my favorite decorating items are these small square mirrors I got from IKEA. They cost me $2 each and you can arrange them to make a neat display. what I did with mine was stain them to match the other woods in my living room. Now that I'm moving I plan to cover them with fabric. The mirror part is a simple glue gun glue so they come apart easy for reupholstering. I'm going to get 2 or 3 different colored fabrics to use and then reattach the mirrors and hang them on the walls. Mirrors are a great way to add even more light to a room. I think these will be perfect in the sun room. The great part of this project is that it's simple, easy and inexpensive. I've really gotten my use out of those $2 mirrors.


The Living Room


Living in DC I used the monuments as my inspiration for my last living room. I painted three pictures. Lincoln, Washington, and Capitol. My plan now is to cover these paintings in white and start over. My new theme is going to be cherry blossoms and DC. Re-using the same canvas over again is a great way to save money. I might even frame them this time to give a more finished look. If you dont have a natural talent for painting you can still use canvas in your home to create your own masterpieces. Pick simple pictures and print them out. Cut them out and trace the objects on your canvas. Fill in the paintings as if it were a paint by numbers project. You would be surprised how wonderful your projects turn out. Not to mention art is never perfect. Plus, it's always fun to have people come in and compliment your artwork.


Kitchen


I dont yet have massive ideas for the kitchen, though I am sure they will come. Instead I will share an idea I had some time ago. For Christmas 2 years ago my boss gave me a $100 cookie jar from nordstroms. It was hardly my taste in accoutrement's for my apartment. I couldnt take it back, but I wasnt sure where to put it. Instead of hiding it in a corner, I decided to give it neighbors. Lots of people use glass see-thru jars to store their sugar, flour, etc. I decided to use mix-matched cookie jars. I headed over to Marshalls and picked out 4 more jars. None of which matched, but all were fun colors with no particular theme. I LOVE them. The four of them get their own shelf. It was a fun way to add color to my kitchen without painting the walls or going to overboard. Above all I think a kitchen should be functional, but there is nothing wrong with a little color splash here and there. Also, none of these jars cost me more than $3.

Is It Time to Fulrough Yet?

So, I'm still not happy about not getting paid for 2 weeks that I have to be furloughed, but I am SO looking forward to having 2 weeks off from work. In the end, I really can't afford to go anywhere, so I am staying put. A "staycation" if you will. However this works out perfectly with my move. I plan on painting and decorating with my time off. I'm excited that the girls I am moving in with don't have a lot up on the walls. I have an entire huge box of stuff labeled "wall hangings". I also have extra paint leftover for when I painted my apartment. In addition to my home makeover skills I plan on helping out the George Mason chapter with Spirit Week. They will be going thru recruitment school and if there is one thing I know, it's recruitment. I'm excited to help them out. It's also the first time I go thru recruitment as an alum.

Boston

I'm wondering what fun things there are to do in Boston. Ive been twice and am going again for a wedding over labor day. It should be fun, but I want some new ideas of things to do. Suggestions?

TV/Books/Movies

18 Kids And Counting
For those of you now familiar this is a show on TLC about the Duggar Family. They are part of the Quiverfull movement and they dont believe in birth control. As a result they have 18 children. When I first heard about the show I was very skeptical that I would like it. The quiverfull movement is very religious, and I was afraid the show would be extremely preachy. I watched an episode and I was hooked. This family is WONDERFUL. They are extremely old fashioned, the girls don't wear pants, and the gender roles are extremely prevalent, however they all truly love each other and really function as a family unit.
The children are home school, so they are a little sheltered, but the family takes lots of trips around the country to add to the home school experience. Also, the family has zero debt. I find this absolutely amazing. They pay for everything in cash, they dont use credit or debit cards at all. They also buy everything used, from cars to shoes. They make money by renting out commercial lots that they own. I think another reason I really like the show is that they aren't preachy. they are very open and honest that their beliefs are not in line with mainstream America, however they dont chastise anyone for not agreeing with them. They have family that doesnt lead the same type of life they do, but they always welcome them to visit with open arms. I just love seeing a family that is that well adjusted. I highly recommend this show.

From the Foodie in Me

Mashed Taters

This is really a tip more than anything else. I learned how to make simple home style mashed potatoes. I usually add salt, pepper, milk and butter. However on occasion I have found myself without milk. I have started adding different things into the potatoes. I have learned you can add just about any other dairy product and your potatoes will still be delicious. Sour cream works well, as well as creamer, and condensed milk. Don't ever thing because you're missing an ingredient you cant make what you want. A substitution here or there makes for a new take on an old favorite.

It's Moving Week

Yesterday was my first real day of packing. I had packed one box on Saturday, but last night I got down to business and packed 7 more, plus I disassembled a shelf, and I packed a suitcase full of clothes. I also folded all my linens into 3 piles. After some advice from Holly and Annie, I have decided to "pack" my linens in large garbage bags. I'm about 1/3 of the way done with all my packing. My goal tonight is to finish packing all my clothes (except for what I need this week). I also want to finish packing up the kitchen. I have a lot of that already done, I need to pack up the "everyday" stuff now, ie, silverware, plates, etc. We'll see how it goes.

TV/Books/Movies

Secret Life
This is a show on ABC family. It's about a teenager who gets pregnant after her first time of having sex. I have a friend who watches it and really enjoys it. I've seen an episode or 2. Last night while packing I had it on in the background. What astonishes me more than anything is the way the "adults" act on this show. The ridiculous attitude the teenagers have seems about right. I remember being 16 and even 18 and thinking that I would be in love forever. But the parents on this show know about their daughters and sons sleeping around town and they seem completely okay with it. This week one of the teenage girls manipulated her father into buying a house next door to her boyfriend. The parents are dating around, getting knocked up themselves. Acting and talking like teenagers. I doubt I'll ever watch again... or it might become a guilty pleasure.

From the Foodie in Me

Julie and Julia

So technically this post should go under the movies section, but it seems more appropriate here.
I LOVED this movie. Annie and I saw it on Sunday and I couldnt have been more hooked. It made me laugh, it made me cry. It was a fantastic chick flick. I think there are a few reasons it stood out so much for me.

First of all although it technically was a "chick flick" it wasnt about a girl finding the true love of her life. Most chick flicks are about the girl getting the guy even after some sort of ridiculous obstacle ie: How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, 10 Things I Hate About You, She's All That, Failure to Launch, blah blah blah. The list goes on and on. The narrator of this story, Julie, is married. She has found the love of her life already. This movie is about her finding something that motivates and excites her. I love that. I think it's something a lot of women can relate to. It's not always about finding the perfect guy, sometimes it's about figuring out what is best for you.

The second reason I loved this movie is because it's about cooking. I named this section "From the foodie in Me" because I never really fully considered myself a foodie. I don't go for organic fruit over market fruit, I don't cook with recipes. I'm more of a "homemaker" type of cook. I throw things together. Yes, they are always delicious, but it never felt like I was being gourmet. I realize now, I am totally a foodie. I LOVE food. I really do, I love to cook it and I love seeing the look on people's faces after the first bite of a meal I've created. It's an awesome feeling. Julia Child loved butter. It made me feel okay cooking with butter, something that I usually don't tell people. Actually, I rarely tell people what's in the food I make because they always want to alter my recipes to make them healthier, or I know they'll be disgusted that I cooked the fried chicken in lard (yep, lard). But for me it's all about what tastes good. There is no point in eating fried chicken if youre going to count every calorie. Sometimes you have to indulge. The trade off is that you don't eat like that every day. I'm all about the balanced meals.

I had a friend who was at my house once and he was eating a sandwich right before I was about to serve dinner. I said "Why are you eating a dinner?!" and his response was "It's only one item, so it's a snack. Dinner is 3 items or more. One item is a snack."
He was quoting me.

I'm a firm believer in a 3 item dinner. One protein and 2 sides. Growing up this is what we had every night. Apparently I've always been a food snob, I just never realized it. I was bred from a young age to love food.

I really recommend this movie if you're A. a girl or B. like to cook. I am also going to venture to say it's a chick flick you can drag your boyfriend to and he won't want to pull his hair out.

Grinds My Gears

The fact that I don't know how to send my calls straight to voicemail on my work phone. I also cant silence my ringer. I have realized now that answering the phone is a bad idea. I now let my line go to voicemail unless I recognize the number. what ends up happening is someone leaves me a voicemail with a problem. I can solve the problem and call them back with a solution. It makes far more sense and saves me so much time.

I WILL do better this month...

at posting. I promise.

My Review

A couple of days ago I had my yearly work review. It was pretty much what I expected from it. I know what areas I can improve in, and I know what areas I kick ass in. I kinda thought it was pointless. However, something really got me thinking. The Office Manager asked me what my career goals were. I told her I was in something of a quarter life crisis right now, so I'd have to get back to her. It was partially BS, but partially true. While I know what I would like to do, I'm sort of lost at how to get there. I started this blog because I officially hit 26, MORE than a quarter of a century old. I feel like I need to stop sitting around and wasting time. I know for a fact that come next August I won't be in this job. At the most I will be here one more year. The future is still unclear, but I have a lot of life experience going for me. That might sound super corny and ridiculous, but I have learned that college was great and all, but really common sense is what you need to make it in the work place. I read a great book in college, I may have mentioned it on here before. It's called "Rise of the Creative Class" by Richard Florida. It's all about how my generation doesn't quite fit into the neat little class molds that our mothers and fathers fit into. We are far more creative and we tend to think outside of the box. It's a great read and I highly recommend it for anyone who finds themselves in this situation. I think the secret is that we all need to be able to try our own ideas and be prepared to fail at them. We are a generation of overachievers and for many of us the word "failure" has not been part of our vocabulary. I now see that it's okay to fail. It's okay to not have all the answers. I am going to keep on trying to reach my goals, and I know that with enough determination and hard work I will reach them, even if I stumble along the way.

Lit O' Bit O 'God Story

So I found this more amusing than anything else. My cousin is getting married. This is a girl who is more like a sister to me than a cousin. She lived with me when we were little and we played together nonstop. My mom and dad raised her like daughter. She is a little older than I am, which made for a great playmate. I remember one summer she asked to spend the night at our house. Her parents lived maybe 4 blocks away. She stayed the entire summer. Well, I am helping her plan her summer wedding. As the maid of honor I have been there to hear all the horror stories about locations, etc. Her biggest feat was getting a Catholic wedding on a Sunday. She finally managed to nail down a church and a priest. It will be our childhood priest. Well while we were chatting about churches and I was giving her a list of priests and deacons I know we come across the subject of our baptism and first communion. I could not remember for the life of me when I had those sacraments. I remember getting confirmed in the 8th grade. I bought a really pretty shirt princess like dress. I was like 13, what did I know. I still have the dress someplace. I also remember buying the dress for my first communion and baptism. I remember I used the same dress for both events, and they were a week apart. (My family wasn't religious when I was younger so I wasn't baptized as a baby.) I remember really not liking the dress, but my mom picked it out and I was stuck with it. I remember my godparents bought me a beautiful head piece/ crown/ tiara like thing made out of crystals. I remember trying it on over and over, and being really excited about it, but it also hurting my head as the crystals were sharp and points. Still, I could not remember the year. I ended up calling my childhood church to request copies of all the documents. When I answered the phone I gave my name and the woman on the other line responded with an "I know you". It turns out it was the sister in law of my first boyfriend ever. He was an alter boy and I was a member of the legion of Mary. We held hands a lot, but that's about it as we didn't even attend the same school. Turns out he's in the air force and stationed in Las Vegas. I can't believe this woman remembered me and my family. She was very nice and is sending along my sacrament records. I'll let you all know how old I was as soon as I get them in the mail.

From the Foodie in Me

A great (but long) article that Sarah sent to me: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/02/magazine/02cooking-t.html

TV/Books/Movies

I watched a few episodes of True Blood. The vampire show. Eh. I wasnt super impressed. I really like Anna Paquin, but I just can't get into the show. I will say that cable TV is kicking regular TV's ass in the area of watchable shows. I am now super into Entourage (I want to marry Ari Gold) and Weeds (the most dysfunctional mom ever). As soon as I move I plan to start watching the Tutors (even though it isnt historically accurate). Regular TV needs to step it up.

Maryland

I can't believe I'm going to say this. But I think that Maryland is redeemable. Don't get me wrong, I am still a Virginia person thru and thru. However, I now realize there are at least a dozen worse states out there. I should really focus my dislike elsewhere. Plus Maryland has redeeming factors Baltimore Harbor, Annapolis, and Camden Yards. Don't get me wrong Maryland, you're still on the "Dislike" list, but you've been moved off the "Hate" list. Kudos to you.

Sweaty Men Falling From the Sky...

Weekend Recap

Sarah and I watched them on Sunday at sportrock in Alexandria. We signed up to go indoor rock climbing. Although there were no boys in our group the place was packed with sweaty, in shape, guys without their shirts on. It was worth the money just for the eye candy.
I really liked rock climbing but today my arms are killing me. I think I used muscles that my body forgot I had. I had a great time, and I think I'll be back. It's $18 to climb all you want. Although, I think I'll go back in the early morning next time. By the afternoon the place is crawling with kids. They were all well-behaved but it was ridiculously crowded.

Aside from the rock climbing it was a good weekend. I made my way to Sarah's on Saturday as well to taste test some of her vegan fare. It's always quite tasty which I am amazed by. Though the red beans and rice could have used some sausage and hot sauce, it still made for a hearty meal. After the tasting, and spending some quality time looking up Saved by the Bell clips on youtube, we headed into old town for some quality dancing time. It's been ages since I danced it up, it was a lot of fun.

From the Foodie in Me

Actually, it's from the foodie in Sarah. For those of you who have never tried Quinoa, it's delish. It has the constancy and look of caviar, but it's a grain. Basically it's an option other than rice or pasta. It's really light tasting, and I recommend it. For recipes using quinoa go to allrecipes.com

Around Town

A screening of Elizabeth Taylor's "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" Admission is free.
Located at National Theater: 1321 Pennsylvania Ave NW.
6:30pm, call 202-783-6854

Books/ Movies/TV

Lord of the Flies

Although I had plans on Saturday and Sunday, my Friday was quite unplanned. I made a trip to Barnes and Noble and knocked another book off my reading list.
Lord of the Flies in an amazing novel. I can't believe I had never read it. I twas definitely one of those books you want to discuss in your high school English class. You want to learn all about the symbolism and the metaphors. Basically the book challenges the nature of man. Golding thinks that at the root of himself, man is savage. While I don't agree with his stance, it's one of the best political books I have ever read. I love when an author cant take his or her point of view and convey it in a narrative. Virginia Woolf should take notes.

Grinds My Gears

I have become one of THOSE people. The people I used to hate. That's right... My name is Tina, and I'm a blackberry addict.
I used to (and still) abhor the people who would pull out their blackberries mid-conversation and check their email. They would compulsively scroll thru screens while in the midst of dinner... now I find myself doing the same thing. The sad thing is, I want an iPhone, I know that's only going to be worse.