goodbye, ruby tuesday

 

just because flowers from my fella

 

 

brunch outfit!

 

 

my creation at the bloody mary bar

 

 

my impression of what everyone else was going to look like after St. Paddy's day

 

 

 

where everybody knows your name

 

 

a life-changing honey latte

 

WATCHING: lots of food documentaries on Netflix (enlightening but sometimes terrifying), "It's Always Sunny in Philidelphia", and My Cousin Vinny. I relate to some of the Alabama life in My Cousin Vinny, unfortunately.

READING: Tender is the Night by F. Scott Fitzgerald. I love old Fitzy. He didn't give a damn what others thought, and he had a crazy mix of being very genuine (fighting with Zelda in front of a party full of people because he was just THAT MAD) and being very fake (totally destitute but pretending to have lots of money). Sadly, the book is starting out slow, but that is probably due in part to the fact that I haven't been reading much lately.

LISTENING:  mucho Pandora. I finally figured out how to play Pandora in my car, and now I spend a lot of time creating the perfect stations so that they have just the right blend of music for the mood that I am trying to create with said playlist. Plus, it's a little more fun/frustrating than CD's because you never know what will play next!

 

WEARING: A Hook's BBQ shirt that says, BEST BUTTS IN BAMA on the back of it, black skinnies, no shoes because who wants to wear shoes with an outfit like this?

WANTING: Another honey latte. I recently took a weekend trip to Auburn to see Hannah and to unwind a little bit, and also celebrate her last semester of school being mostly over. Since she will more than likely never live in Auburn again and I will more than likely not have a need to go to the city again (at least in the foreseeable future), we decided to try out some of the things that we always said we wanted to do and never got around to. One of those decisions was to visit the Gnu's Room, a non-profit bookstore/arts center in Auburn. They have a coffee shop inside, Mama Mocha's Coffee Emporium, that I am pretty sure was worth my drive to Auburn for. Not only do they roasted their own beans and have quality coffee, but they also have some amazing lattes. I'm usually a plain coffee girl, but with offerings like the Whiskey Caramel Latte and the Honey Latte, I couldn't say no. And let me just tell you - I am in love. It was so worth it. Also, I made an offer to purchase my own home and now I am just waiting... waiting, waiting, waiting. It's killing me softly.

 

-B

 

brunch

Brunch has officially taken over my culinary desires. The only foods I want are ones that I can eat for brunch. After all, what meal is better than a meal that you can consume alcohol at? 

WATCHING: DOWNTON ABBEY! At first, I thought, "This show is really going to blow. This show is going to blow so much that I am going to want to cause bodily injury to those surrounding me." But then... then I watched it. And things changed. Although this show centers around what I would consider 'white people problems' ("Oh boo hoo, we might lose this HUGE 3+ story estate home and have to downgrade to a tiny, 2-story country mansion, whatever shall we do????"), it still has kept my attention. Most likely this is because all of the plot lines have the same amount of time dedicated to them. That's what I like in my TV shows - symmetry. 

READING: "She's Come Undone" by Wally Lamb. I'm only at the beginning, but this book shows promise in spite of the fact that it was an Oprah book club pick.

LISTENING:  a 3-part mix cd I made last summer when I went to the beach with my friends. I'm ready for summer, I think. I'm at least ready to quit having the seasons fluctuate so rapidly.

WEARING: a teal cardigan, peach colored tank top, an infinity necklace from Tiffany's that my amazing mom got me, jeans, nude suede flats from Old Navy.

WANTING: I want Sunday to get here so that I can go to brunch with my wonderful friend Jill. We are going to go to a local brewpub where they serve pork belly eggs Benedict, and have a Bloody Mary bar. It sounds like the perfect end to a long weekend and a good way to satiate my current brunch obsession. And the Bloody Marys... I can never pass up a good Bloody Mary. I've never been before, but I absolutely cannot wait!

-b

time to dream a new dream

my new whip

my awesome new rabbit shirt

kitty being regal 

wolf pack. ahoooo!

my city by the bay

a gin and tonic at my favorite bar in the world

the world runs on dunkin

a recent, fun outfit

WATCHING: CLOUD ATLAS!! So good.

READING: "The Absent Traveller" by Randall DeVallance. Ever read a book that you relate to the main character so bad it hurts? That would be Charles Lime for me.

LISTENING:  lots and lots of Coldplay and Fleet Foxes. I'm boring sometimes. 

WEARING: black skinnies, gray v-neck, yellow caridgan, awesome brownish gray Clark's hiking boots I got on a steal!

WANTING: more money for my upcoming Iceland trip (!!!), enthusiasm to start working out again, the chance to cook a good meal. 

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