Of Books and Sunshine

This has often been my view the past few days.



I’m pretty sure that everyone has heard of Eat Pray Love by now. I had seen the book before but never picked it up until I saw the preview for the movie and I knew instantly that I had to both read the book and see the movie. It’s wonderful and beautifully written and helps you create a very content and easy feeling as you read the author’s description of her life and journey. It’s especially great for outdoorsy summer reading.

This morning I got this dress for $12 in TJ Maxx.



I contemplated over it for 20 whole minutes and text this picture to a friend for approval/disapproval. It’s too mother-f’in hot and this girl doesn’t really do shorts so I need some serious alternatives to pants and jeans.

Then, at home I baked cupcakes and cookies like a mom with triplets in 2nd grade whose birthday is tomorrow. The cupcakes are lemon with lemon icing and I only baked them because lemon cake is my favorite and I wanted one cupcake but now I have 20 something cupcakes so I’ll probably dump them at work. The cookies are part of a birthday tradition for this kid that works at the dealership I used to work at.



I’ve been waving my dork flag high lately. I saw Toy Story 3 this weekend and it was so emotional. I was really nervous when they were about to fall in that fire pit and they just held hands and braced for it. And a few weeks ago I went to the Backstreet Boys concert and wore glow sticks on my wrists. When Jamie found out they were coming she jumped on it with the quickness and got tickets early so we had 5th row seats. I mean look at how close we were…



A decade later they were still bustin’ smooth choreographed moves



And they changed clothes a lot into winter velvets and scarves like they didn’t know it was June and HOT.



Brian was always my favorite BSB and when it started to rain I tried to tie my mop atop my head and he offered me his hat. I haven’t been able to tell anyone this out loud in words because I KNOW how ridiculous it sounds. I am glad that Jamie was there to witness his nice gesture to me because she is quite possible the only individual that I know that will ever appreciate such an occurrence. I felt appreciated as a 12 year old fan and less remorseful over all the allowance money I spent at the time on their merchandise because they are so nice.



BSB Brian’s family sat behind us and his wife was so nice and normal. I could tell his kid has never been rained on before because he freaked out and had to go inside as soon as he got a little wet. Like, We gotta go. Right now. My plaid shorts are going to be ruined and my hair gel is going to get in my eyes. So they left.

Don't judge me..

Tonight after the dishwasher exploded soap all over my kitchen floor, I watched a Backstreet Boys video from their tour that I will be attending next month with my BFF from high school.

I said don't judge me.

I didn't know that you couldn't use dish detergent in the dishwasher. I filled both of the little soap containers up with Dawn, which produced a massive amount of suds. I learned on google that you can put vinegar and table salt in there to kill the bubbles and it worked! In total, I only used 2 large towels and 4 hand towels to clean up the mess. I've had worse disasters, like that time I spilt a can of white paint in the passenger floor board of my car (not my current one).



Then I received a message from Jamie with this video in it...



We have 5th row seats to their concert in Raleigh next month. However, I don't think the amphitheatre is completely built yet so I'm not too sure how it's all going to turn out. When I started to watch this it gave me the best laugh I've had all day and suddenly I was back in the 9th grade.

See, our 9th grade Civics teacher gave us assignments like "pretend you're news anchors." And we did. We reported on a hypothetical backstreet boys concert and wore our tshirts that day.

Muggy Monday

It was so hot and muggy today. Yuck.

I ate this cute boiled egg for breakfast.



It has dill and cayenne pepper and Gingery Mango sauce on it. It is the most delicious combination.

Then I hung out at the Laundromat and was done with that shit before 10am.



I went to Whole Foods and got a snack and this tea, because one egg is hardly enough.

Then I got a haircut and it went from a shaggy mess to this..

Productive Sunday

It’s midnight and I’m nowhere near being tired which sucks because tomorrow is not a designated “sleep in” day. I only sleep late on Sundays. This helps me be the most productive. Yes, normal sleep schedules are still amazing to me because I had a crazy one for about a decade.

Anyway, today I sat outside in the sun and read some excerpts from one of my favorite books (Genome) I like to pick up on days like today. I’ve had it since sophomore year in college and I still highlight important things in it. Today I learned something I didn’t know… that paternal genes are responsible for making the placenta and maternal genes are responsible for making the embryo, especially the head and brain. This is because the paternal genes don’t “trust” the maternal genes to take care of and nourish them, so to speak.

I also saw a really cool Chef, Jose Andres on TV. He uses special scientific techniques to make food fun and interesting. For example, he had Anderson Cooper blowing liquid nitrogen out of his nostrils as he ate the popcorn Andres had made. How cool! I think he has about 5 or 7 restaurants but none in NYC and I was so disappointed about that!

Then this evening I applied to 30+ jobs. It’s a little disheartening that Duke already “cancelled” one of my applications. I mean, can’t they just look at it?

Best Friday afternoon

Friday after work I rode my bike along the American Tobacco trail in Durham. It starts downtown and ends at Southpoint Mall. Friday afternoons are my favorite because it’s the end of the week and it’s a great way to release some unwanted stress and energy. It is mostly shaded and glorious with cute little bridges like this..



Very relaxing and fun. Everyone is smiley when they pass you. There was a group of ladies on roller skates, though, and they were not very happy. Nothing at all looked fun about what they were doing. They spent a lot of time bent over with their hands on their knees and I could only imagine the pain they were in and the exhaustion they were experiencing. There was a lady following them on a bike and they stopped a couple of times to take inventory and the bike lady (roller derby coach?) went back to check on the fallen ones. They were so serious.

I rode 13.5 miles in all, 8 of which my ass was in severe pain.

Tomorrow I’m getting my hair cut. I need it so bad.

Where to begin...

I was off from work today which was nice. My vacation and sick days are combined into 3.5 weeks worth of time for me to use at my disposal. Luckily for me (knock on wood) I don’t really get sick so I can manage to take a day to just do BS that I really don’t want to do but have to. Like…

Bathe my dog with this shampoo that I bought from TJ’s because I liked the bottle. It’s cute, and there are humans that don’t get baths as often as he does, so it stays it sits permanently in the shower.



Then we went to the vet to get his nails clipped and discuss his many health issues with a professional. He has chronic growing pains which are not abnormal in large dogs but his moaning can be excessive when he’s experiencing them. He gets it about once every 6 weeks for 5 days or so. And he has persistent allergies so sometimes he breaks out in rashes. They want to put him on a hypoallergenic diet but I just tell them to give me the prescription for his medicine so I can take it to Target and get it filled for $7. And to top it off he has an ear infection, but now I have all his medicine and he’s pretty much just sleeping through the pain. He’s very obedient and I’m proud of my dog-mom performance thus far.

Then I came home and cleaned. Cleanliness helps my mental health. I tried hard to not become a victim to the DVR but I failed. I wanted to listen to some shows I recorded in the background but I had to SIT DOWN AND WATCH True Life: I hate my face. I fast forwarded through the white girl a lot but the Indian-looking/Asian-ish girl had me freaking out. I definitely don’t think she has the body disorder, I think she’s just spoiled as hell. It was crazy. Meanwhile, I’ve been going sans eyeliner a lot lately and I’m liking it, especially for summer. I'm glad I like my face.


(I’m too lazy to use my real camera and transfer pics.. iPhone is easier)

I started going to O2 Fitness with some of my co-workers because they have group exercise classes that are really awesome. It was very difficult for me to transfer my membership from the Y to O2 because I feel like a portion of my money goes to some sort of goodness at the Y each month. At O2, however, there are a bunch of tanning-bed-burnt ladies with belly rings. And the office staff calls my phone too often trying to get me to buy a personal trainer for $300. BUT the classes are really good and it pushes me way harder than I would ever push myself AND I have good company which always makes working out so much easier. I’ll probably go back to the Y… I have 5 months to decide to do so before I would have to pay the application fee again. I mean, look at how pretty my walk is to and from my car each morning at the Y!





There is a really awesome bbq restaurant in Durham called The Q Shack. It’s the best and it always reminds me of my crazy childhood road trips to Texas. Anyway, they opened The Fish Shack next door in an old garage. It’s really open and airy and cuter than what this picture provides..



It’s great because they have things that you want to eat sometimes but can’t really find around here like fried crawfish tails and delicious po’ boys. And it’s like you’re sitting outside without really sitting outside.

The only fun thing I've bought lately is this winter bag from Lightyears that was on clearance for $10..

You Won't Find Moments in a Box

Last week had beautiful moments. I received a notice that I had a package, but that it had to be picked up from the post office so I knew it was from Paki. Shafaq sent me some wonderful things! The most wonderful part of all, though, was that it travelled 7,000 miles in a pillow case. I love that she packed it in a pillowcase and wrote my address on it with a Sharpie.



Shafaq sent scarves, bracelets, and some homemade cards. There was also a letter written on Hello Kitty stationary and she mostly wrote about how cute the stationary is. Love it! This is the pink scarf:



My afternoon was so sun shine-y and in the evening I met with my family to celebrate my Grandfather’s birthday at Tyler’s Taproom where I ate the most expensive boring salad ever.

I picked the best combination of movies this weekend. First, it was Food, Inc. and if you haven’t seen it you definitely need to watch it. I think I’m getting near the point in my life where I am ready to consider the environment and ethics in my buying. When you are broke it is really, really hard to be so conscious, but now I feel a responsibility because I am smart enough to understand the importance.

Ironically (ha!) here I am in Wal-Mart with a giant Twinkie. I will not take your carby, sugary treat, but I will take your picture, Sir!
This was pre-Food, Inc. I just don’t know how I feel about Wal-Mart. I am on a budget so I just have to make really conscious choices when I’m shopping there. I am ready to begin weaning it out of my life and start buying from the Farmer’s Market.



The next movie was Up In The Air and the reason why these were such a good combination is because the song that ends Food, Inc. is the song that begins Up In The Air. How ironic! Great movie.

I am so over the mat. I had this in my face today..



I did wonder over the One World Market and was entertained by all the fun things I could look at.



I love this piggy bank!



Today I organized my everyday makeup. It was in my makeup bag that kept getting stuck whenever I opened the drawer. Now I can see everything and I should have made this transition a long time ago

Nice Weekend

Yesterday was my cousin’s baby shower. She’s having a boy.



That is the only blurry iPhone pic I got because my favorite person, Gracie, always requests to use it for SpinArt creations. And she saves each and every one of them. I love it. She will close text messages and deny phone calls that interrupt her.



Gracie always looks like she just stepped out of a Gymboree catalog. She did my hair and makeup on her Nintendo DS dress-up game and then my Grandmother told me about the Wii she bought for herself because she is a hard-core Wii bowler. These are cute family moments that I am so thankful for.

Today was beautiful and warm, and I discovered that I do not like papayas. They're bitter and I can't get over the rotten-fish-egg-looking seeds in the middle. However, I still appreciate papaya fragranced air fresheners.

Busy, Inspired, Frustrated...

Tuesday was not a very good day for me, so after work I went to Sephora (for one thing only) and discovered the wonderfulness of the budget-friendly Sephora product line. I had never really taken the time to look into their line of products because I was just straight in for my necessary Benefit products and straight out, so as not to be tempted by anything. I almost bought Benefit’s Coralista..



..which is so pretty on, but I put it back and got a Sephora blush that is similar.

I also got a matte lipstick because I am tired of my lips being the same color as my face. My eczema (Nerd Flag waves high) won’t allow me to wear glosses and things but a matte lipstick is perfect for me because it lasts longer, and I can put my special chap stick over it.

I also got my favorite concealer, Boi-ing by Benefit, which is what I initially went in for. It’s the best and well worth $18 because I use it every day and it’s not cakey or oily and provides perfect coverage.

But my favorite thing that I got was this Eyelash comb..



I almost got the cheaper one for $6 but I’m really glad I got this one because the comb on it is amazing. And I didn’t have an eyelash comb before.

Okay, rewind to Monday. My lease on my apartment is up here in a short time and I’m on the fence about moving/where I want to move to. Apartment hunting went from “Oh, this is fun..” to “I hate my life” in about 2 seconds flat. I am really frightened by reviews that I read online and just overall very frustrated with this whole process.

And I made pickles this week, too. They’ll be ready in 2 weeks and hopefully I will have found a wonderful place to live by then!

Becoming healthier..

I’ve eliminated so much craziness from my diet and I’ve been going to the gym in the mornings, and even swimming laps some afternoons.

I’m having fun with it! I downloaded the MyFitnessPal App on my phone and it is beyond amazing. It’s basically a diary of what you eat but it’s so easy to use. They have a huuuuuuuuge database and you can just type in some key words from what you ate and scroll through to find the brand, or exact kind, and change the serving size. And it provides you with a Nutrient Summary that tells you how much of your recommended daily vitamins you have received from what you ate, as well as calories, fat grams, carbs, cholesterol…. All that. And it saves your foods so it just becomes easier and easier to use.



On Monday I went with my cousin, Jessica, to see Dear John and it was so sad it made my stomach hurt. I had to hide behind my scarf. It’s a love story based on a book so it comes with the territory. I did appreciate how it exemplified the way 9/11 affected young people in particular.

So considering that I could probably get away with wearing my pajamas to work, even the slightest opportunity to wear a hat and scarf gets me excited. I do need a haircut but hey, I’m tryin’..

Happy

Here’s some more of my apartment. I’ve just recently gotten around to organizing and decorating. I’m on a super tight budget.



This is the computer nook and that wire mess behind my laptop is probably a fire hazard and might blow up but whatever. So much crazy shit gets thrown in here..



This is my living room with an exhausted Ebi. I am not crazy about the picture but it keeps the wall from being bare for now. I got the futon from Target for $160 and the black tables (there’s another small one) also from Target for $40 for the set.



I love these little red tables. They came from TJ Maxx and were $50 for both. Those little drawers are perfect for storing tiny things I would otherwise lose.



I throw all my hats here (for right now).



This is my favorite one. It’s not very structured so it fits my head perfectly and it’s so comfortable over my ears. I usually have difficulty with hats and ears because I’m a baby about the way it feels. I found this one in a Delia’s catalog years ago and then went to the store and paid like $28 for it. I’m glad I did.



It’s so much easier to take quick pictures with my iPhone and email them to myself but then you can’t see my face.

Tonight my aunts and mom and some of their cousins met for dinner at Satisfactions in Brightleaf Square. I was happy to go. I love to hear them tell stories about their childhood and how cool of a Dad my Grandfather was to them. They had a freaking pony! Their childhood seems so beautiful and I’m happy that they had the experiences they tell about. As kids they went to the grocery store as a family and it was a really big deal that they got dressed up for, and the guys that did the bagging went to school with them and they were always rushing to do their bagging. My mom and her sisters were some hotties. And Sears had a candy bar! And the Carolina Theatre downtown was the place to be. It all just seems so cute. I mean, they had a pony!

March 10 would have been Gpa’s 90th birthday, and I’ve proposed that we all go out for dinner that evening because he always talked about living to be 90. I think it will be full of wonderful stories.

The Mat

This is my life for an hour each week. I'm surprised that I don't mind it that much. This laundromat is always so quiet and empty when I go either Monday-day or Tuesday-evening. I could buy a W/D but that would involve me having to pay a fat amount, and then move them, and move them again one day. And I wouldn't be able to complete all laundry in such little time while reading the Independent.

I didn't know about this until today but Jessica Simpson has a new reality show starting March 15 on VH1. She is traveling the world to meet women, study local fashions, dietary trends, and beauty regimes. I'm goofy excited.