Thirsty Thursday

My view, a photo by emotionalknapsack on Flickr.

This post brought to you by Thirsty Thursday!

The view from the picture is from my apartment. I finally joined the 21st century and have an iPod touch which also means.... Instagram. Get ready to have your face rocked off soonly.

21 before 22 - the Results

A cup of coffee makes the morning bearable.

Pretty rainbow after a storm.

A wonderful illustration from "The Savoy Cocktail Guide." Love.

Here is my 21 before 22 recap. Overall, I think I was rather successful.

21 Before 22

1. Go to Austin, TX.

Fail - although I really wanted to (and still want to), it just never worked out.

2. Attempt to cook at least one meal a week for myself.

Win! I have been experimenting with different recipes and I kind of love cooking - it chills me out.

3. Become a fancier dresser (this is a vague goal, but I'm sure it involves more dresses and fewer sweatpants).

Fail - I spent most of my time in a uniform.

4. Sew a dress for myself.

Fail. Not even close!

5. Go to a brewery.

Fail. Although I did spend time researching breweries, I never found what I wanted. I was hoping to find a brewery that I could tour and learn about beer while also being able to sample that wasn't a million miles away.

6. Go to Savannah, GA.

Fail. I came really close, and Megan and I were actually all on board to go ahead with our vacation - babysitters were worked out and everything - but then she broke her foot the week before so it didn't work out.

7. Host a cocktail party.

Depends on your definition of cocktail party... plenty of people have had cocktails at my house while partying, but there was never a formal cocktail party.

8. Go to a salsa dance lesson.

Fail. I wish!

9. Watch Casablanca, as an adult.

Fail. I just couldn't do it.

10. Drink more Gatorade.

Fail, once I realized that I hate the salty taste unless I'm sick!

11. Buy coffee from Kaffeklatch.

I haven't yet. But I still plan on doing it.

12. Use cash more often; don't rely on my debit card as often.

Success! Unfortunately, I also discovered that using cash makes me spend more, therefore it is probably better that I do not use cash as frequently.

13. Create my own blog.

Success! More of a hostile takeover of the old one!

14. Buy an expensive pair of shoes.

Fail. I just couldn't justify it.

15. Devote an entire day to reading.

Great success.

16. Visit Hannah Jones in Auburn.

Also a great success.

17. Paint my nails more often.

Success! I love the grown-up look that nail polish provides, it's just difficult to maintain since my job requires me to deal with liquids frequently.

18. Take at least one spontaneous night time walk.

The most memorable was with a friend and we had late night talks... but it was totally worth the lack of sleep.

19. Wear red lipstick with no other makeup.

Success! The bold and the beautiful.

20. Cook dinner for friends.

Back during the cold days of winter, I went to Cody and Tyler's house and cooked us a steak dinner with potatoes and green beans, and it was amazing!

21. Tattoo.

I got something that I had really wanted and I still love. More additions to the collection are forthcoming, when finances allow it.

Stay tuned for my 22 before 23 list! I'm still working on it. :-)

-B

I'm Just Waiting 'til the Shine Wears Off

Hello kids! I finally got settled into the new place. Life is starting to return to normal - although I don't have a couch anymore. That's a little abnormal. But other than that, the new place is rockin'. It's the dog days of summer here, and relief from the heat is not even in sight. However, I've been doing everything in my power to stay cool, even if that means drinking a lot of iced tea and wearing dresses (the sacrifices!).

A night of drinks at the VooDoo Lounge encourages me to be silly.

Three different kinds of summer berries! I was in heaven.

So I cut them up and ate them, and they were delicious. Note the avocado in the picture: that's right, the love affair continues and gets deeper everyday.

The three compartment sink at work. I took a picture one day because it seems like some days, this is all I see.

Tiny tea tins that my grandma gave me when I was a little girl. I was always fascinated by her tea tins and so she finally gave me those. I love them still!

View on my way to see Jill!

WATCHING: The Adventures of Pete & Pete, seasons 1 & 2. Exclusively. Also, I saw Cowboys & Aliens over the weekend and loved it.

READING: "This Side of Paradise" by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Secret: I've been stuck trying to read this book for two weeks because in the summer it feels too hot to read.

LISTENING: awesome '90s mix someone made me, Coldplay, the Black Keys.

WEARING: teal cotton dress, black flip flops, silly jewelry.

WANTING: My own personal Artie (the Strongest Man in the World), the weather to be about 20 degrees cooler, to get a 2nd job, for my beach vacation to hurry up and get here! It's 3 weeks away but that may as well be 3 years away. Geez.

-B

A Few Minor Indulgences

As a newly graduated, single, non-professional young adult, it probably goes without saying that I don't have a lot of extra cash lying around. In fact, about 99.5% of the time, this is ridiculously evident in my day to day life. However, just because I am low on funds does not mean that I can't have a few indulgences. Some are free, some are cheap, and some are special just to me. Here is a list of a few indulgences that I partake in on those days where I need to reward myself for being a pretty good kid.

1.) Getting my eyebrows waxed.

You may laugh at this and say, "Ha, an eyebrow waxing? Really?" but it's true. I hate plucking my eyebrows; it hurts and takes forever and I always do it wrong and my poor eyes water for hours afterwards. Instead, I can go to my preferred little salon, pay $7 (well, $10 with a tip... they take care of me), and walk out in 15 minutes feeling like a million bucks. I probably don't look it, because around my eyes is all red and slightly greasy from that stuff they use to get the extra wax off with, but I feel great.

2.) Going to the library.

I love books, always and forever. The library is a guilt-free indulgence. I know that I can go in there and spend hours looking at different books, checking out exhibits, sitting in their broken-in leather chairs and I'm not running up credit card debt. I can read books that are not easily accessible, or brush up on local history. Our library even has a pretty well-stocked foreign movie section (although admittedly, I have spent a lot less time in this area since I've gotten Netflix). I can waste a couple hours in the library and walk out so happy, not to mention fueled with some good reading material.

3.) Going to the thrift store or a used book store.

This is another thing I love to do. Going to the used book store means that I will almost definitely spend a little bit of money, but I'm okay with it. Going in the thrift store means that I may discover hidden treasure (see last posts' thrift scores), but what I really like to do is look at the stuff and imagine what kind of person owned it before it came to the thrift store. Little old lady? Die-hard liberal? Punk rock musician?

4.) Making myself a new mix cd.

This may seem old school, but my car's cigarette lighter has bit the dust and I can no longer listen to my iPod in the car. Therefore, I am reduced to CD's and the radio. Spending a few minutes to make myself new mix cd's makes me so happy, I can barely wait to jump in the car and drive somewhere and revel in the coolness of my new cd. I also love it when I find old mix cd's (which I just did and I am SO SO SO excited about! These are like 7 years old!) and when people give me mix cds... hint, hint.

5.) Driving home the long way so that I can enjoy a prettier view.

There is a very direct way to get from my work to my parents' house. There are also a few other ways that use back roads and take a lot longer. Some days when I have time or need to clear my head or want to finish listening to that rad mix cd, I take the long way home. I feel like I could just keep driving and it would be okay. That sort of freedom is what keeps me grounded.

What are some of your indulgences?

-B

Nice to Know You

Well, hello! It's time to brush off the old blog. Unfortunately, I have had a series of events in my life that meant that there was no way I had any time for anything besides potentially sleeping.

Since my last post, I came home to find my apartment condemned, got a concussion, and got a new job. Yeah. Not to mention all the little stuff happening in between.

That's right, my super cool downtown apartment has been condemned. It always had its' fair share of quirks and weirdnesses, but apparently it had one too many when the city came to inspect it. I came home from work and there were signs every where that said it was condemned and illegal to occupy. Cool. Therefore, the last week and a half have been spent scrambling to find a place in the same price range in the same neighborhood - no easy feat, since all the college kids are coming back home. I finally found one yesterday and put down a deposit. It's bigger than what I have now, although it does not have the pretty view of downtown. It does, however, have a community cat named Carl, REAL heating and air (oh my!), and a kitchen that more than one person can fit in. It also doesn't have some of the character of my old building, but that's okay. At least I had the chance to experience it for awhile.

The concussion? Well, a friend had recently turned 21, so we took him out to experience the non-existent Huntsville nightlife. Let's just say that at the end of the night, I ended up holding open a window, and then the window fell on my head and gave me a concussion (which I did not even realize until the next morning).

The job? Another coffee gig. However, this one is more in line with my idea of a coffee shop. Wide variety, roast their own beans, make sandwiches and pastries and WAFFLES (!), etc. It's only part-time right now, because I really need to save up some money since I was not prepared to be moving on the fly. My first shift is tonight, we'll see how that works out. Hopefully it's good!

Here is my life of the past few weeks in photos:

A surprisingly mild stout, this was enjoyed on a friends' couch watching Modern Family. I'm totally okay with that.

A Mambo Taxi from a local Tex-Mex restaurant gets the thumbs up seal of approval from my dinner companions.

When I visit the flea market, the food is my favorite part. Here I am devouring an ear of corn slathered in butter and cajun seasoning - divine.

My haul from the Nashville flea market. From left to right: Avocado honey (you will see an avocado theme in my life), bbq sauce to die for, hot chow chow for my mom (she loves it on peas), and peach honey. I told you it was all about the food.

Fresh guacamole! My boss loves it and we had a Mexican themed potluck at work one night, so I made her a small bowl of it. Yum.

Here is also something I made: it may look disgusting, but it tasted great. It had beans, corn, bell pepper, onions, tomato, AVOCADO, lime juice and olive oil. It was a great vegetarian option for taco fillings!

The inside of a perfect avocado, my new love.

Avocado tea! Just kidding. I did buy some loose-leaf from a tea store in Nashville, and it is DELICIOUS! I just wish it wasn't a million degrees outside and that I actually wanted to be drinking hot tea right now.

My two kitties loving on each other. How sweet.

This is the morning after the concussion. Apparently, someone decided it was too hard to deal with a belt, so they just threw it in the toilet.

Thrift scores! These were both $1. So for $2, I got ALL of this Italian cookbook knowledge. Be jealous.

Another thrift score. It went from this....

...to this!

All it needed was a little silver polish.

It shines like a star now.

Hopefully, I will be moved into the new place by next week, and I can give you guys a look at my new house! And don't fret, I'm still in the process of getting a new dslr. One day, these blog posts will not have to consist of lame cell phone shots.

-B

I'm in Too Deep and I'm Trying to Keep All These Thoughts in My Head Instead of Going Under

Long title, but I heard that song on the radio today and it was such a throw back - I love it!

Don't think that I have forsaken this blog. Unfortunately, the neglect that it has received is due to being extremely busy in many aspects of life, as well as my hard drive dying and therefore having no computer access for the time being. It's killing me - I hate using PC's, and I also hate going without the internet!

Heather and I did visit the India Cafe, and it was amazing. The tikka masala that I got was kind of the bomb diggity (Heather agreed that my food was better than hers ;-). Other than that, life has been an assortment of parties, work, sleep, and reading. I have the potential for some cool stuff in my future, but I have to wait it out and see what happens. It may involve a lot of travel (yay!). In other news, I am a terrible decision maker and should not be allowed to make decisions. In other other news, our company's location celebrated its 10 year anniversary on Tuesday, and we had a luau themed party for it! It was so much fun - I went down the blow up slide about a million times. Sometimes it's great to act like a kid. Overall, I work for a good company and I like my coworkers, so it was nice to be able to celebrate a milestone with them.

I promise I will do a real update soon, but since the internet is scarce for me, I don't know how soon that will be! Don't forget about me!

Is that iced tea? No, it is iced tea and sweet tea vodka, one of the best concotions of 2011.

The beginnings of vegetarian lasagna. It was SO GOOD. It may have humble beginnings, but I kind of think I could eat it constantly and it wouldn't bother me.

This is me winning like a boss at trivia. Against a few certain people who think they are so much better at it than me. Hmph!

-B

Kansas City to Huntsville - A Traveling Feast

I made it back from Kansas City, kiddies!

Chipotle! I had the vegetarian burrito... so delicious.

My artistic cup and purse picture.

On the way out of Kansas City, we crossed this super cool bridge.

Then this is the view we had for the next 4 hours (although it was definitely pretty).

Totally deserted.

Saving grace: Iced coffee with soy & hazelnut. You would think that I would want to avoid Starbucks on my off days... but you would think wrong.

Sunset outside of St. Louis.

I got bored.

This is what all of our night driving consisted of.

Hannah's night driving face.

My night driving face. I was tired, and covered in various stains. Lesson learned: do not wear white on a cross-country road trip.

A completely blurry shot of Elizabethtown, KY! I've always wanted to visit there after seeing the movie with Kirsten Dunst and Orlando Bloom.

This shot was a mistake, but I think every road trip deserves a mess-up picture.

I'm getting back into the swing of things now. Tomorrow is my off day, so I plan on trying a new Indian restaurant in town with Heather and hopefully having a chill night with Megan. I'm so lame these days!

-B

Shine On, You Crazy Diamond

Hannah, Felix the cutest cat in the world, and I a wee bit stretched

Just a quick update before I do a road trip picture post. We made it back alive! After Chipotle, sleeping in, driving for 10 hours and eating lots of vegetarian food, we finally arrived back in the Dirty South.

WATCHING: So much! I've been in a movie mood lately. The Virgin Suicides, Hannah and Her Sisters, Harold and Maude, Strangers in Good Company, The Four-Faced Liar.

READING: "High Fidelity" by Nick Hornsby, "The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins. Both excellent so far.

LISTENING: Cat Stevens, Biz Markie, Rogue Wave, new Death Cab album.

WEARING: Pretty chill today - lotus flower earrings, gray/gold detail tank top, brown shorts, turquoise sandals.

WANTING: a vegetarian cookbook, new speakers in Simba (my faithful Jetta), another road trip, a discussion with Megan about my super exciting, super secret new career plan.

-B

Here It Goes Again

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I just want everyone to know I'm on my way out to start my epic road trip! Felix didn't want me to go, though.

Reasons I Love to Fly!

In preparation for my impending departure, I compiled a list of reasons why I LOVE air travel! As silly as it seems, I love traveling by air. It makes me feel like I’m really going somewhere and I love all the unique experiences that you have when flying versus other forms of travel (although I will admit this also means that some of those experiences are frustrating!).

1.) The fact that you can live in an airport. According to The Terminal (which was based on a true story), it is entirely possible to live inside an airport for years. With some ingenuity, it seems that you would be able to eat, sleep, bathe and work inside an airport. I kind of like that idea. I also like that airports are kind of a little microcosm of reality.

2.) You can shop and eat and drink beer, all at the same time! If you are on the plane, you can eat, drink, and shop Skymall. If you’re in a terminal, you can do the same thing, except the shops are generally better.

3.) TRASHY MAGAZINES! This is the one time I allow myself that indulgence. My attention span is short when I am surrounded by that many people, so trying to focus on serious reading is not an option. However, brushing up on Bragelina’s latest marital woes or 7 tips to burn belly fat or Ashton Kutcher’s new dog is just my style.

4.) Free ginger ale. I don’t drink a lot of soda, but when I do, ginger ale is at the top of the list (followed closely by Dr. Pepper and Coke in third) and getting it fo’ FREE is exciting.

5.) Getting to look out the window. I always like it when I get the window seat, I’m like a child. I love looking out the window and seeing the land spread out underneath me like a map. If I am tired of reading, I like to imagine little scenarios in my head about all the tiny towns underneath me and what’s going on and the little mundane pleasures of life. Like, “Oh look, I bet that town is celebrating the annual Corn Festival, and two teenagers just held hands for the first time on a hayride and the town drunk is puking in the bushes and there is probably a family pushing a fat baby in a stroller.” Deep stuff.

6.) Duty free liquor! I have only recently been able to partake in this pleasure but it is always a plus to get your liquor discounted.

7.) People watching. Like I mentioned before, airports are little microcosms of life and I love to people watch, especially since most people are under some sort of stress by traveling. Plus, I like to see all the different ways that people interact. I do a LOT of people watching when traveling by my onesie.

Cons: airline bathrooms (so little! What if you get sucked out of the plane?!), gross seatmates (that one guy who is spilling into your seat and then falls asleep and lays his head on you, potentially drooling), overpriced everything ($3 for a bottled water?!).

-B

Make Me Dance, I Want to Surrender

Jill and I on a recent excursion to see a local band (Halo Stereo) play. We saw them together a few years ago and their sound is completely different now... I don't know how I feel about it.

The theme of our inventory night was "Groovy Nights" so I embraced this look with my super cool flower tattoo and John Lennon glasses.

It was a sundress and moscato sort of evening. Isn't Jill's dress adorable?

My two favorite brothers. We got fancy for a company dinner, and then walked around Bridge Street, eating ice cream and drinking beer until we got to see the new Pirates movie.

OPI's Vodka & Caviar. It's the best Russian Red out there.

Lately I have been really antsy about my life right now. This time of year always inspires wanderlust in me - I want to see the Great Pyramids and haggle with Balinese greengrocers and pretend to be a New Yorker when it is obvious that I am not a true urbanite. Thankfully, I can ease this wanderlust a little bit next week, because I am headed to Kansas City, MO! I've only been through the city once and I doubt I'll get to spend much time there now, but I am going to help Hannah Jones move and we are making a road trip out of it. It's quite spontaneous - right up my alley. I can't wait to take pictures and eat road trip food and listen to mix tapes and talk about everything. I miss taking spontaneous trips!

WATCHING: Game of Thrones, Wet Hot American Summer, Pirates of the Caribbean (twice!), Xmen: First Class. I have seen so many summer movies this year, which is odd because I usually try to avoid movies because it's hard to focus my attention for that long unless it is very captivating. I can't wait for Super 8 and the last Harry Potter!

READING: "Eat, Pray, Love" by Elizabeth Gilbert. Again. I've been in such a weird reading funk lately that I decided to read something that is thought-provoking but not overwhelmingly intellectual. You know, I gotta ease my way back in.

WEARING: Instead of boring you with my normal PJ's, I will tell you what I am going to wear tomorrow: new sundress, shades, and a big smile.

WANTING: for tomorrow to get here so that I can cook my favorite boys dinner, for Monday to be over with because it is going to be a 12 hour work day, for Wednesday to be here so that I can be leaving on a jet plane.

Have a good weekend!

-B

LISTENING: Belle & Sebastian's Write About Love on repeat.