From the mind of Annie, Part 2

Food
I am not a cook - in fact, I hate it. But there is a great summer pasta dish that I feel compelled to share (and I made it the other day!)

Cheese Tortellini
Fresh Tomato
Cucumber
Red Onion
Olive Oil
Cilantro

Cook the Tortellini then throw it into a bowl of freezing cold ice water. Dice the veggies, mince the cilantro, then drain the pasta. Place the pasta into a bowl (no water this time) and sprinkle with the olive oil, then add the diced and minced ingredients. TA DA! cold pasta salad with no mayo :)

You can eat it as a side, a salad, or add chicken to make it an entre.

Books
I finished "The Virgin's Lover" a couple weeks ago, and it was ok. It is historical fiction and it is a little bit frustrating because the inner struggle of the Queen is quite a bit drawn out. I'd say it is a 'meh' book if we were using a 'Tina Scale.'

I've moved on to "A Bed for the Night." Sounds intriguing, right? It isn't. It is about the crisis of humanitarianism. A very informative book, and I think I'll learn a lot, but it is far from captivating (I think the copy I have was purchased as a used text book).

I'm going to the beach next week and there I'll try to read two books; "Love the One You're With" of the "Something Blue" author, and "The Beach House" with comes highly Tina recommended. These are both vapid chicklit so I should be able to get through them fairly quickly.

Massage

There is a place called Massage Envy and they have been running a $50 special for a one hour massage for first time customers. I highly recommend it, it is certainly worth the $50+tip you will spend.

http://www.massageenvy.com/get-started.aspx

It is good for you to get a good massage as often as you can afford it. They can help with posture, stress, and pain. So go for it!

Not sure what to make of this...I’m at the point in my life where I hear about a new pregnancy every couple of weeks. This is often exciting and fun and can sometimes lead to things like baby showers. A couple of weeks ago I co-hostessed my first baby shower for a wonderful mama-to-be in my small group at church. It was a really nice shower with a great group of women, but the weirdest thing happened to me that day and that is what I really want to talk about.

I was tasked with various things in preparation for the shower, as were the other hostesses. The last thing on my list was ice so I planned to stop at a gas station near the shower location on my way to set up for the day. That’s what I did, I stopped at a gas station for ice and I don’t know if I’ll ever forget it. I asked the man in the garage area if he could help me, “I’d like to buy a couple bags of ice, please.” He smiled and walked into the store to ring up my ice and take my money, all the while being very friendly. We went outside to get the ice and he asked if I was headed to the beach, I told him “no, I’m helping to throw a baby shower” and I mentioned that I had gotten to go to the beach the weekend before. As this conversation continued he asked, and I answered that we had gone to the Outer Banks in North Carolina. He then told me that he was from Raleigh, NC and then I said that I was originally from Spartanburg, SC and had gone to college in Winston-Salem, NC – then it happened. He said “Oh, well then you’re used to seeing a bunch of old ugly black people!” with a big smile on his black freckled face.

So many things ran through my head; you’re not ugly. you’re handsome. you’re nice. why would you say that? is this a trick? I don’t understand. do black people think other black people are ugly? are you biased against other southern black people? do I come across as someone who thinks that? do you think I think that?

“I wouldn’t say ugly” with a smile, is what eventually came out of my mouth.

I haven’t forgotten that exchange yet, and I still don’t understand it. I’m sure it was an innocuous statement from his point of view, but it sure knocked my socks off. It was like I was the first white girl to not shudder at his appearance or to enter willingly into friendly conversation. It makes me curious about how other 20 something white girls have reacted to him. He was a nice man, and I’ll gladly buy ice from him again if I’m ever in that neighborhood and in need of a bag of ice.

There isn’t a moral here, and I can’t say I learned anything from it, I just still get a little befuddled when I remember that exchange.


Truancy Report
The people working at Theodore Roosevelt High School are incredibly rude. I shouldn’t know this, but unfortunately I do. They were not helpful with the following situation:

Some kid at Theodore Roosevelt High School gave my boss’ office number as his ‘home’ number, and let me tell you – Reggie will not be receiving the ‘Perfect Attendance” award this year. Dude stopped going to school a few months ago and he gave you a fake number for his mama.

Hostile take-over, take 2

This is Annie, I'm guest blogging again! I like Tina's system, so I'm going to stick to it:

I spent this past weekend in Richmond with Frank. It is a lovely city with lots of nice people and some really good food, there are also some quirks that we discovered as we wandered around on Saturday:

Dogs
I am a full convert to the 'dog owners club of crazy' at this point. I don't carry Hamilton in a bag (anymore, he won't fit), I don't buy him clothes or super expensive anything, but I do take him with me as much as possible.

Tomato Tomato

So the expression "Tomato, To-mah-to" looks just silly if you type it out rather than saying it aloud. Just an FYI for everyone out there. (Props to Bill on this one)

My Weekend Recap

I feel like the weekend was a million days long. I accomplished so much.
Friday I stayed in, did some laundry, no big deal.
Saturday I got up fairly early, and headed out to Eastern Market. I had lunch at the counter inside the marketplace (Shrimp sandwich) and a fresh squeezed lemonade. I walked around the market a bit, didn't really see anything of crazy interest. BUT as I was walking away I noticed this sign that read "Books" with an arrow. Well of course I had to follow.
I found the most wonderful bookstore I have ever been in. It's must have been a row house at some point. Basically the entire shop is filled from floor to ceiling with books. It's a claustrophobic's nightmare. Windows are completely blocked with bookshelves. The basement ceiling was probably 6 inches higher than me. It reminded me of the Borges novella I read about the never ending library. I could have literally sat in there and read for days on end. However, as it was a Saturday the place was busy, I bought 3 books and went on my merry way.
After the bookstore I headed back to Clarendon and made plans with Sarah. The legwarmers were in town so we decided to see if we could get scalped tickets. We were successful and even ran into the Backer's at the concert. A great time was had by all.
On Sunday I went to the Nationals game with Anna Pope. She had suite/sweet tickets. I really enjoy sitting in the front row... but nothing beats watching a game from an air conditioned suite. I had 2 hot dogs. Yum. Sunday evening I went over to S. Murphy's for some vegan fare, and topped the night off with a quick visit from Fernando.
Great Weekend.

Around Town

Cowboy Mouth
9:30 Club
Saturday 6/13
I already have my tickets and am planning my adventure to Ben's Chili Bowl!

Grinds My Gears

Chinatown in DC. It's sooo sub par to Chinatowns anyplace else. Are there even any Chinese places there? Cause every time I go I head over to Fado's or RFD, neither of these is very Chinese.

Books/TV/Movies

The Stranger
by Albert Camus

I was actually really surprised by this book. It's more of a novella. It has an ending that doesn't wrap up nicely. It's slightly open ended with the protagonist facing beheadment.
I really enjoyed the book however. The themes were similar to that of Our Town (Thornton Wilder). As the audience we see the protagonist move in time as though one day bleeds into the next, never fully able to distinguish one from the other, living life without emotions. It's a very moving piece and at just over 100 pages well worth a read.

Weird Personal Fact of the Day

I love books. If you read my blog often you've probably picked up on this. I know most people like books, and read often. Some people are more prone to read newspapers or magazines, or articles of interest. I love books though. I love to read, but there is something about being immersed in another person's ideas that I find completely fascinating. Whether it's a fiction and you're being whisked away to early 60's Alabama (To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee), or a non-fiction, and you're learning about the subtle complexities of class within the newer generation of workers (Rise of the Creative Class by Richard FLorida), I am equally amazed. The thought and passion these people put into their works astounds me. Also the originality of ideas. It really moves me. When I walked into that bookstore on Saturday I almost wanted to cry. I just find books that fascinating and captivating. I can literally not put down a good book. I will sit for hours and hours on end until I finish it. I just HAVE to know how the story plays out. Also, I'm ALWAYS reading something new. The idea that anyone can go days or weeks without reading makes me immensely sad. There is all this fun and all these ideas out there waiting to be explored, just waiting to be read. People in other countries don't have the advantages that we do, we can read ANYTHING we desire. I just cant imagine not wanting to.

Furloughs Continued...

So we had a big staff meeting about furloughs yesterday. Ive decided to take my time off the weeks leading up to Labor Day. So I will have no work from August 22-September 7th. For those of you counting that is 17 days off. I think I'm going to try to plan it so that I return to boston on Saturday the 5th in time for Anne's wedding on the 6th, and I'll drive back down to DC with Tamsin. I might take the 21st off as well so I can travel that day. If I plan this all right I can have 13 days in Spain then come to Boston and rest a day, go to Anne's wedding, and travel back to DC the following day. It will be hectic, but I think I can do it. I'm really excited about it.

First thing is first. I have to book that ticket.



From the Foodie in Me

I really enjoy baking, and making cakes look spectacular. However I do not enjoy the taste of fondant.
I found a really good fondant recipe online. It's still not as good as normal frosting, but it's at least edible.

1 cup light corn syrup
1 cup shortening
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon clear vanilla extract
2 pounds confectioners' sugar


In a large bowl, stir together the shortening and corn syrup. Mix in the salt and vanilla flavoring, then gradually mix in the confectioners' sugar until it is a stiff dough. Knead by hand. If the dough is sticky, knead in more confectioners' sugar until it is smooth. Store in an airtight container at room temperature or in the refrigerator.
To use, roll out on a clean surface that has been dusted with confectioners' sugar until it is 1/8 inch thick or thinner if you can. Drape over frosted and chilled cakes and smooth the sides down, or cut into strips to make bows and other decorations.

Weird Personal Fact of the Day

I am super craftsy. I dont know how many ppl know that. I'm thinking about starting a second blog just for crafts. Right now I'm stockpiling my ideas to see how many I actually have, and can execute.


Grinds My Gears

Hippies. Dirty Dirty Hippies.

New Home?

I'm thinking about moving soon. I do love living alone, but I think i would like a house more. Plus, I'm in the mood to stir things up. I've lived in my current apartment for 3 years, I feel like it's time to shake things up. If I do move the first thing I am doing is planting a garden.

Furloughs and Vacation

Today everyone in North America received a notice that a mandatory furlough was being instated. For those of you who are unfamiliar a furlough is mandatory unpaid time off.
I have 2 options. I can either take off a solid 2 weeks, or I can take off one day a week for 10 weeks. The furlough must be taken during the summer as this is typically our slow time.
I've decided to approach it as I would approach taking off a band-aid. I'm taking the 2 weeks in a row and just ripping that sucker right off.
Although furloughs truly suck, the one positive is that you have time to do things that you might not otherwise do. I think I'm going away. I've wanted to visit Europe for some time now, and I just have never made it. This is the time. I'm taking my furlough at the end of August so that I can have as much time as possible to save up. I haven't decided where I'm going yet, but I'm leaning towards Spain. A few reasons. My last name, Cordova, is Spanish. According to my dad when his great great grandfather came to Mexico from Spain his last name was Cordoba, it was changed after a generation. To be honest, I prefer the V to the B, but the point is, Cordova is a place in Spain that I have always wanted to see. I also want to see Barcelona, Madrid and Seville. Also, although my Spanish is plenty rusty, I'd have a far easier time in Spain than any other non-English speaking country. I'm going to work on getting my passport situation all squared away. Many of you know I officially changed my name to "Tina" earlier this year, however when I got my Virginia licence I didn't have all the documentation I needed to have it changed. So, I must go back to the DMV, get a new licence and then get my passport. It'll be an annoying process, but in the end, I'm going to look at this whole experience as an opportunity to see a new place and explore a new land.

From the Foodie in Me

Tip from the Murphy household:
In the instance that you don't have confectioners sugar, you can put regular sugar in the blender and it will work the same.

Weird Personal Fact of the Day

I don't like smelly lotions. I prefer unscented things.

Books/ TV/ Movies

I admit it, although I spend a lot of my time reading, I often find myself indulging in crappy chick lit/ beach books. I cant help it, they are easy reads that don't require a lot of things. So for your pleasure, my chick lit author recommendations:

Jane Green - The Beach House, Jemina J, Mr. Maybe
Emily Griffin - Something Borrowed, Something Blue
Lauren Weisberger - The Devil Wears Prada
Marian Keyes - Angels
Meg Cabot (younger fiction)- The Princess Diaries

Around Town

Rock Creek Park
"Screen on the Green"
Marley and Me
7:30pm

Grinds My Gears

The Metro

Yeah, I know you have all heard the metro ranting before. Tourists don't stand on the right, walk on the left, the trains are always breaking, the trains are late, etc etc etc.
My rant is more about the way things are run in general. I would like to take control of the metro system. I would guarantee a profit in 3 years time. I think the metro's biggest problem are the employees. The job market is saturated with talent right now. I would take advantage of that talent, employ marketing campaigns, and feed off customer satisfaction surveys to have everything running much better.

I Can't Believe It's Barely Tuesday

For the past 2 weeks I have had shortened work weeks. The 5 day week is killing me.

Schedule

I have a crazy schedule this week. I'm going to HH's all over the place, birthday's, tennis, girls nights.I have discovered I am a much happier person when I am busy. When all I have to look forward to is reruns of gilmore girls and my bed (and i love both, dont get me wrong) I tend to be moodier. I really enjoy socializing. I was watching an episode of Greek last night and the main female character was having trouble being alone. I totally empathize with that situation. In college there was ALWAYS someone around. Someone to do things with. Being in a sorority made finding friends even easier. I was always out and about in college. Between mandatory sorority events, Brunos, the fly, classes, and hanging out in smokers alley the alone time was few and far between. Once college ends, if you're lucky, you find a group of friends who are also out of college. You all continue living your crazy days, going out on Tuesday nights, drinking the weekends away, etc. However, once you hit your mid 20's, people grow up. Sure you still drink and party, but you are just as likely to go to a movie, or plan a game night. There is a change there in how you plan your activities. They no longer center around booze and partying. Your activities change as you mature, and you might find yourself with more alone time than you ever had before. For someone like me, that's a challenge. I like alone time, and I love my apartment and my bed, but really, staying busy makes me feel good. For those of you with free time on your hands I suggest you look into classes at a local community college, or joining a league of some sort. It will get you out of the house, you'll make new friends and you stay active, which is the way you stay young.

Around Town

Shakespeare in the Park

TIME: May 26 – June 5, 2005, 7:30PM
LOCATION: Carter Barron Ampitheater, Rock Creek Park
EQUIPMENT: Yourself, free ticket (pick up that same day at the box office), picnic supplies, anti-mosquito spray Free Shakespeare in the park is one of my favorite urban summer treats...don't miss it!From the Shakespeare Theater email:Please join us for William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream at the 15th annual Shakespeare Theatre Free For All at Carter Barron Amphitheatre.FREE performances are from Thursday, May 26, through Sunday, June 5, at 7:30 p.m. (no performance Monday, May 30). *
A Midsummer Night's Dreamby William Shakespeare
directed by Jef Hall-Flavinoriginal direction by Mark Lamos
7:30 p.m. nightly (no performance Monday, May 30th)
All performances, including those specially designated below, are free and open to the public. Come out and picnic and join us under the stars!
GROUP TICKETS - for nonprofit, community-serving organizations.(Groups who volunteer are acknowledged from the stage that evening.)
MARION BRYCE MEMBER PICNIC – Thursday, May 26, 2005
FREE FOR ALL INFORMATION IS ALSO AVAILABLE AT 202.334.4790.

Weird Personal Fact of the Day

My hair dries straight naturally.

Grinds My Gears

Dress Shorts

Yes, I have a lot of friends who wear dress shorts, I know I will probably offend a few of you. I don't care. I hate shorts in general. I feel that skirts are more flattering and feminine. I dont see why you would wear shorts when you could wear a skirt (athletic and workout shorts excluded). Dress shorts really bug me. I think that women get to push the envelope a lot because men are afraid to question our clothing attire. They don't want to seem insensitive or broach the subject of clothing or looks, so women take advantage and can basically wear anything short of jeans to the office. I think we've pushed too far. I say dress shorts should be the first to go.

From the Foodie in Me

In any Mexican restaurant in Texas your beverage choice always includes at least 1 Agua Fresca. Basically it's fruit water. They are Delicious and refreshing, especially on a hot summer day. My favorite is cantaloupe flavored, and watermelon flavored, but you can really use any fruit you want.
Enjoy!

Agua de Melon
1 ripe cantaloupe or honey dew peeled, seeded and diced
2 qts cold water
1/2 cup sugar*
Mash the melon. If using a blender, add just enough water to blend into a coarse pulp. Put the pulp in a pitcher
On a stove top "cook" water and sugar until sugar is completely dissolved in the water.
Add the water and the sugar to the pitcher. Stir. Refrigerate until cool.

Agua de Sandia (Watermelon)
3 cups watermelon, diced (no rind)
10 cups cold water
1/2 cup sugar*
Mash the fruit until it is quite smooth.
On a stove top "cook" water and sugar until sugar is completely dissolved in the water.
Add the water and the sugar to the pitcher. Stir. Refrigerate until cool

* May need more or less sweetener depending on the sweetness of the fruit you are using.

Free Stuff!

Have pictures that you want to get developed but haven't had the time/ money?
Sign up for a CVS photo account and get 50 free prints.
http://www.cvsphoto.com/account/register.aspx

If you choose "In store pickup" there will be no extra delivery charge!

My Weekend in Texas...

Texas Weekend

I know I have been awful about posting recently but I have good reason.
I have spent 2 weekends away in a row. First the Outer Banks, then Texas.

Here are some pictures of my weekend in Texas. More to be posted on facebook soon.

This is the pic I took with my phone to send to Whitham. I wanted to taunt him as I was spending the day on a golf course.

This is the golf cart that I spent Saturday riding around in. Gotta love country club perks.

This is the condo I stayed in. My mom and dad own a timeshare, but are in the process of buying their own place on the lake. It was really nice for a weekend getaway.

It was a great weekend all around. My baby sister graduated from high school and she is all set to go to college in the fall. I definitely shed some tears at her graduation.

I also realized that although I often miss my family you kind of become used to not seeing people that you love. In college I went home quite, maybe once every 2 months. After college, when I was living in Austin I was home almost every weekend. It was a big shock to my parents when I told them I had been offered a job in DC. They were really supportive though. They bought my plane ticket to DC and were behind me 100%. They also thought that I was only leaving for a year or 2. This past February makes 3 years I have lived in DC. I have to say that I can't see myself leaving anytime soon. Sometimes I think about it (mostly driven by the housing market in Texas) but I have really built a life here. Good job, friends, boyfriend, etc. It's funny that someplace so un-Texas can be my home.

Around Town

Jameson Bartender's Ball

Rock and Roll Hotel

1353 H Street NE

8pm-

$20 at the door

www.rockandrollhoteldc.com

From the Foodie in Me

Sour Cream Cookies (Recipe from Rachel Crosby)

Cream together 2 cups of sugar, 1/2 cup butter and 1/2 cup Crisco. Add 2 well beaten eggs, 1 1/2 cup sour cream, 1 tsp baking soda, and 1/2 to 1 tsp nutmeg. Gradually mix in about 6 cups of flour (enough to make the dough roll out). Cut with a cookie cutter and sprinkle with sugar (regular white), if not frosting them. Bake in moderate oven.

Grinds My Gears

My mom.

This isnt a normal "mom" rant. This one is specific. This one is in relation to her hoarding items.

My mom has an entire kitchen and china cabinet full of items. Tons of stuff, cast iron skillets, pots and pans, smoked Crystal punch bowls, etc etc etc. She uses NONE OF IT. I don't think my mom has cooked at home since she opened her restaurant 9 years ago. All these stacks of things are just sitting there collecting dust.

I was home this past weekend and tried to make off with the smoked crystal punch bowl.

It's my favorite. It's from the 70's at least. She's had it as long as I have been alive and she has never used it. She argued that she used it twice, I was just too young to remember. Let me recap. In the past TWENTY SIX years she has used this item TWICE. Yet she won't let me take it. It drives me mad. I'm still planning on taking it at some point. In the meantime I snatched her gold drop pearl earrings... after all, she wasn't using those either... :)

Weird Personal Fact of the Day

I eat a bowl of cereal every night before I go to bed.

Free Stuff

So those of us who have lived here awhile all remember ytic.com.

they basically gave away movie screenings, unfortunately the site is no longer up.

however I was just informed of a new site http://www.filmmetro.com . They give away movie screenings in DC/MD/VA. The only thing is they are "sold out" quickly so you need to check often. But it's free tickets, so you can't beat it!