This Place Thursday

If anyone has taken the time to read my last few posts, you may notice that there's quite a bit of material on Paris.  I read about Paris. I dream about Paris.  I like to eat Parisian foods.  There's one small flaw in my Parisian fantasy: I've never actually been.  I'm sure it's breathtakingly beautiful. I'm sure I could live there for years, never going hungry.  But I'm also quite sure I'd stick out like a sore thumb.  I don't speak French.  I wouldn't know a Louis Vuitton if it fell on my head.  And I'm definitely not, what the French would call, tres chic.  No, secretly I know Paris really isn't "my" place. It's (I'm sure) not at all like England...

Now, England is definitely my cup of tea (see what I did there?).  I say this of course only ever visiting London (and only doing that for 4 days.)  But I must say, it made an impression.  London to me, is the very definition of a perfect city.  Where the Parisians are chic and uninterested, the Brits seem more down to earth and oh so polite.  I wouldn't look as great as the Parisians do smoking a cigarette wearing a skinny jeans and a beret.  In England anything goes.  Of course, there are less vain reasons too. 

The sights in England are collossal and seem to spring out of nowhere.  How can you ignore the site of Tower Bridge rising out of the Thames or the beefeaters guarding it looking every bit like they do in children's stories?  If the magnificent views of these monuments don't excite you, the history behind them will.  We don't have that here in the states.  That's what always fascinates me about the UK: the History.  The magnitude of what has happened in one small country boggles my mind.  

Of course, London loses a few points from me in one particular area.  The food is...eh.  I can't say much without being mean but somehow when the British were busy ruling the world, they missed the lessons on spices.  I'll admit, the tea is just as outstanding as everyone says.  And the crumpets that go with, are to die for.  With the exception of Bangers and Mash (where has this meal been all my life?!) the food is bland and not so tasty.  But I hear chefs are busy revolutionizing the cuisine with new ideas and tastes which definitely excites me for my next trip! 

Of course what the Brits lose in food points, they more than make up for in literary points.  It is by far the literary capital of the world.  The list of classic authors, playwrights and works is neverending.  Be still my book-loving heart!

As I'm here trying to explain to you why you should love England, I'm realizing I love it most for reasons I haven't even experienced yet.  For such a small country, I'd need almost a year to explore it as I wish.  I'd need to visit Cambridge to see a performance of the Footlights where Rowan Atkinson, Emma Thompson and Fry & Laurie began their careers.  Then out of the city and into  the country side to visit the market towns dotting the coast. Of course, then there's the Globe and Stratford-upon-Avon to appease the Bard-lover in me.  Then Kensington palace, Cornwall and Brighton Beach.  Liverpool to walk Abbey Road and dream of the Fab Four.  And how can I forget Hay Fest?  There's High Tea to be had and King Arthur  and Holmes to investigate and faerie lore to buy...

Ok, so maybe I may need more than a year...

Tower Bridge

The Eye in the Sky

Parliament

Christmas windows

Tribute to Princess Di and Dodi Fayed in Harrod's

The street I stayed on in Notting Hill

Anyone who's ever seen Notting Hill should recognize this as the bookshop where Hugh Grant meets Julia Roberts

The Classic telephone booth

Profiter d'etre a...Maryland?

I'm currently reading "Paris, My Sweet" so please pardon my French (says the girl who took Spanish for 6 years).  Anyway, it's a fabulous book especially if you have an unhealthy fascination with all things Paris like I do.  But I've come to a crossroads.  On one hand, I think, maybe, the author (Amy Thomas) may have a point but on the other, I think she may be off the rails!

She's worried that she'll never meet her soul mate or have kids or meet new friends or etc, etc, etc, (valid fears that I have a little too often) and she has a bit of a crisis. After some words of wisdom from a doctor, she decides to live on the motto "Profiter d'etre a Paris", which apparently, (according to Google Translate) means "Enjoy being in Paris!"  Ok, I can see where enjoying Paris is a good motto to live by when you are actually IN Paris. I can guarantee that I will be enjoying every last boulangerie in the City of Light...whenever I get there.  But, Really?  How is enjoying a city supposed to help you find someone? Of course I haven't finished the book quite yet, so maybe she'll succeed and prove me wrong. 

Herein lies the problem for me.  How can I agree with this statement when I've been enjoying Maryland for, oh, I don't know, the last 29 years and it's gotten me nowhere but Maryland!? Maybe I'm not enjoying the state enough?  I haven't attended the Preakness once.   I've never visited Cafe Hon.  I don't understand lacrosse.  All (apparently) quintessential Maryland activities comparable (not in my mind but I'm sure others') to the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre and a real boulangerie...  Maybe that's the problem.  Maybe I haven't squeezed enough fun out of my state.  

Of course, the fact that I began this post by analyzing the 3rd book I've read this month may support that argument. 

So I suppose I'll give it a shot. Maybe for a while I'll just be happy to be here instead of working so hard to improve everything...Profiter d'etre a Maryland! (Of course, I'd rather be Profiter-ing Paris...)

This Little Guy...

This little guy is the number one reason I miss working with kids every day!  How stinking adorable is he?! Can you imagine the story he told his teacher that morning?  That was my favorite thing about working with 4 year olds: the stories they would tell.  They very often made no sense (to anyone but them) but the sincerity and the excitement they shared was infectious.  Anyone who says they don't like little kids has never even tried to teach them.  They will melt your heart in, well, a heartbeat and have you eating out of the palm of their hand.

As someone who works in business on a daily basis, let me just tell you: Adults suck!  They don't get the joke.  They don't want to have fun.  They don't want to make an edible alphabet.  And they definitely don't want to play on the playground.  But they do pay well which is unfortunate because teachers deserve it so much more!  (and I promise I'm not just saying that as one)  Eventually, I will either hit the lottery or meet my Prince Charming.  At that point, I will have enough money in the bank and I WILL (cross my heart!) start teaching and working with kids again (and having them too!).  It's something I've always seen in my future. So bring on the babies!

Now if I can just figure out how to work the whole travel-y, creative-y, teacher-y thing together in one fell swoop, I'd be a very happy girl indeed!

Editor's Note: I'm not a comic book geek (just every other kind of geek...) but Marvel has totally won me over with what they did for this little boy.  They deserve some kind of recognition. (aside from the billions of dollars they're making off of the Avengers, of course)  Way to go Marvel!  Yay Superheroes!

Memorial Day Rememberance

As he approaches the gates of heaven;
St. Peter he will tell;
"One more soldier reporting sir;
I've served my time in hell."

-Mark Anthony Gresswell

Always Remember.

Never Forget.

I Love to Eat!

I feel as though I should be sharing this post at an eat-aholics anonymous meeting...My name is Kristen and I love to eat.  There, now that that's off my chest I feel much better.  Anyway, last year in my list for the year, I made a resolution to eat everything that was offered to me.  The thing is, I've got a bit of a reputation for being picky.  It's not that I'm picky in the sense that I only eat 3 things and complain mercilessly if I don't get those 3 things.  Not at all.  It's more along the lines of my father's a really good cook and I really hate bad food so I like what I like.  I never thought that I was too bad but those around me thought that I was annoyingly picky, ipso facto new resolution.

The fact that I am surrounded by ACTUAL annoyingly picky people made this a pretty easy resolution to follow.  Of course, those picky people really like alcohol so I was forced to sip all sorts of beer and spirits (Ick!  I'll stick to my lone margarita each month) But for the most part, nothing too crazy.  But what I did try I actually enjoyed.  I tried kimchi, some kind of yellow japanese thing (very yummy, but still no idea what it was), Pho Ga, calamari and my new personal favorite (after years of shunning it) fish.  I never liked fish because it was "fishy" but apparently I never had good fish.  I've learned that there are millions of fish in the sea (see what I did there?) and I just hadn't tried the right ones yet.  It's also quite good for you and makes a great quick meal!

But back to my point at hand, and I actually do have a point.  I made the realization today (after another indulgent brunch at Carrol's Creek) that brunches are the perfect way for me to continue on with my little taste the world resolution. I'm not such a fan of ordering new and different foods at restaurants (although, I've gotten much better) because I don't want to pay for a meal that I might not like. But with a brunch I can still get all the wonderful things that I know I like: Eggs Benedict, Fruit salad, and so good it's criminal apple fritters.  But I can try other more interesting foods just because they're there for the eating: Mussels (Blech! these were most likely rotten because how can millions of people eat something that tastes and smells THAT bad!?), Seafood Risotto (yum!), and Blackened Mahi (Double yum!).  It's a win win situation! 

After years of indulging in the food network and the travel channel, I have compiled a list of about 100 foods that I still need to try to truly call myself a foodie.  But, I feel I may need to start branching out into some new brunch spots if I want to fullfill this particular desitiny.  I just don't see a Naptown seafood joint adding curry or poke to their brunch menu.

Hay-on-Wye

I'm sure for any normal person reading this, the words in the title mean nothing.  However, if you are (like me) a un-apologetic book fiend, you may just know that Hay-on-Wye is a county that straddles the border between Wales and England.  You may also know that according to its travel bureau, Hay-on-Wye is "world renowned for books and bookshops."  So obviously it's on my list of dream vacation destinations.  Based on my fascination with all things British AND my love of books, I'm pretty sure I'd be perfectly happy to live out my days there as well (now I just have to uproot the rest of my family and friends too).

You may wonder why I'm choosing to tell you about my love for this quirky little paradise today.  Well, according to my research (when I can't figure out what to blog about, I google this day in history), the Hay Festival began on May 26, 1987 which, if you ask me, really should be a national holiday.  The Hay Festival is a 10 day long celebration of all things Books and Literature.  Authors and writers from around the world come to speak and lecture on subjects ranging from Medicine and Social Sciences to Food and Comedy.  Each year this tiny county attracts about 85,000 booklovers who come to check out 500 different events over the course of the 10 days.  The 25th anniversary of the festival begins on Thursday and just like every year for the last 5 or so, I'll be wishing I was there.  Some people dream of beaches with crystal blue waters.  I dream about lounging with literaries in the English countryside.  One of these days I'm going to get there but for now, I'll have to be content to dream and watch the festival unfold on youtube (yes, we lit-lovers actually do that...)

Click Hay-on-Wye to see just how bookish and beautiful this book-lovers paradise really is!   

Friday Five

This week's been crazy busy at work so I haven't gotten the chance to do much surfing to find any cool bits and baubles.  What I have done has been to listen to music non-stop. (The people in my office like to talk...ALOT...and it's next to impossible to get any editing done when you read the same sentence 15 times because you're eavesdropping...) My Iphone, Pandora and I have grown close.  
So without further ado, a special all music edition of Friday 5.

1. "Feel So Close" by Calvin Harris: Not the most intricate of songs but I get the darn beat stuck in my head every time I hear it.

2. "Fine by Me" by Andy Grammer: I loved this song the first time I heard it.  Great beat and super cute lyrics.  What can I say?  I'm a sucker for a sweet story.

3. "Colors" by April Smith and the Great Picture Show: It's kind of embarassing to say that I fell in love with a song from the Lowes commercial.  But come on... It's catchy!





4. "Where the Boat Leaves From" by Zac Brown Band: Summer's coming, and it's the most perfect beach song I've ever heard. I can almost feel the sand between my toes...

5. "Felt Good on my Lips" by Tim McGraw:  My most favorite Tim song.  It's fantastic to sing along to in the car with the windows down and the wind in your hair but hearing it in a pavillion surrounded by 20,000 people singing it too is about 100 times better! (Already counting down the days until I get to see him again, with Kenny this time, in August!)

So there you have it.  These are the 5 songs on my list that I never skip past.  You could say my music style's a bit schizophrenic but you can't deny it's got a good beat! 

Crummy Day

Please pardon me for not having much to say today.  It's been a crummy day, 11 hours of which spent in front of a computer screen staring at SAP material, trying to make sense of it all.  It was made better by a few hours with my highly entertaining (if I do say so myself) niece, a great friend and George Clooney (because, honestly, who's life isn't made better from staring at George Clooney for 2 hours, even in the slightly depressing Descendants.)
Anyway, now I'm plodding off to bed so I can get up in 6 hours and do it all over again. 

Tell me again, why must I work?

Operation Job Fair

After today's fantastic job fair, I would say that somehow I've conquered my fear.  As badly as last week's went, there was actually nowhere for this one to go but up.  But it went even better than that, it went great!  It was a very popular event that attracted hundreds of people. Unfortunately, the space didn't fit hundreds of people.  So there were quite a few lines to get in, then to get to the companies I wanted to talk to.  But I didn't stress.  I waited patiently (even though I got stuck in line with the one guy that wanted to spill his entire life story, up to and inlcuding the messy divorce and loan defaults...awesome). 

I started off like normal and made the loop, then I made another one.  At that point I thought I'd get stuck in my neverending cycle, aka the same as last week.  But some very nice gentleman (I kinda flirted too, yay me, I'm on a roll!) caught my eye and we talked for a while.  After that, I guess I was relaxed enough so I talked to all the agencies and companies I wanted to talk to and managed to get a few cards.  It could have been a lot more fruitful if my field was IT but since training is kinda specialized, most companies don't need more than 1 or 2 education or training specialists.  I knew I should have gone into computers!  Anyway, there are a few prospects that I'm excited by so I'm hoping at least one of them will pan out. 

I'm thinking I might be getting closer to my goal for 2012.  Dream job here I come!

Series Finale Success!

A few weeks ago I shared that I HATED series finales of shows and considering I had 2 to deal with, I was not a happy camper.  Well 12 hours after the House finale I can declare success!  I made it through and didn't turn into a sobbing mess.  There were a few tears of course (Warren Zevon's "Keep me in your Heart for Awhile" does it every time!) but I made it. Woohoo!  It's the little things in life that excite me...

Anyway, tomorrow it's off to conquer another fear: Job fairs!  It will be my second in 2 weeks and I have high hopes that it will go better than last week's.  I have prepared to the hilt.  I re-wrote and re-formatted my resume.  I've made a list of the top 10 companies and organizations that I would like to work for that will be there.  The outfit is layed out.  This chick is ready!  Here goes nothing!

Did you ever think...?

Did you ever have one of those days where you could swear you were in some strange social experiment?  Ok, hear me out, I cannot be the ONLY one whose had moments like this.  In these strange Big Brother instances, people do things that you just can't justify. I am pretty certain today, that all the goings-on around me (nothing terrible or earth-shattering just random) were part of some experiment to determine what would happen if you threw every strange possibility in the book at a person. Would she break? Would she lose it? Or would she just ponder the experiment in her blog? 

Each moment, up to and including, the random toddler screaming to the top of his lungs at the grocery store while everyone else seems to not notice him (including his parents), has just seemed odd.  Try as I might, I can't fathom why someone would try to ask me a question about something I've just talked at length about not knowing.  Or why someone would stop me to have a conversation about nothing important when I've just told them 3 times I'm starving and am running out the door (with my coat on and umbrella up) to lunch?  In my mind, they are most definitely conducting a complex experiment to see how the subject will react. Surely, they are analyzing each eye twitch or foot tap to prove their hypothesis. 

So if you run in to the researchers who are constructing Kristen-TV, can you tell them I opt out?  No more experiments please, I prefer to be much too boring to live in a reality show.

Andrews AFB Air Show

Today I finally got the pleasure of seeing the Blue Angels!  I've been dying to for a while now.  Last year, I was supposed to see them from a boat when they were in town for the USNA graduation, but apparently they got dressed down for some infraction or another and long story short I spent 4 hours on a boat looking at water instead of really cool planes.  Anyway, my dad and I spent a fantastic father-daughter day checking out the planes, choppers and automobiles.  Then seeing the coolest aerobatic maneuvers ever!  Now, I'm counting down the days until they're back next month for the Star-Spangled Sailabration!

*Above Photos courtesy of my super awesome photographer of a dad: Thanks bud!

These 2 are my contributions (Me and Instagram, of course)



I'll Have Another!

So I'm definitely not so into horse racing.  Quite honestly I really don't like horses all that much.  Don't get me wrong, they're beautiful animals.  But they're also too big and too unpredictable for my liking. 

That, however, has not stopped me from getting super excited for the possibility of  a Triple Crown Winner.  "I'll Have Another" won the second jewel in the crown today by taking MD's Preakness.  Somehow, coincidentally enough, I even celebrated the day with some horses.  Well, not so much with horses, as much as in the prescence of horses.  (The little ones rode and I lounged far away from them...)

Source: Baltimore Sun

Keep on running I'll Have Another, Belmont's only 3 weeks away! 



Friday Five

1.  "Live Forever" by Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors:  It's such a fabulous song.  I've had it on a continuous loop all week. I'm already dreaming of ways to use the lyrics as some kind of wall art, especially "Take Courage when the road is long.  Don't ever forget you are never alone."  In my head, it's painted on my future children's wall....

2. A Friday happy hour with some great friends.  Still super fun even when you're only drinking water!

3. These bags by My Mind's Eye:  I so needed one as soon as I saw them...My spirit fell a bit when I realized they were kits and thus were DIY.  Sewing is not ,shall we say, my forte.  But supposedly these can be sewn by even a novice.  We'll see about that...

4. Scandal!: Is anyone watching this stellar show besides me?  If you are, Who's Quinn Perkins?!  I need to know, because it's going to kill me wondering about it for the next 3 months!

5. Etsy App: Any creative knows that Etsy is a fabulous resource for all things handmade and a spectacular time-waster.  Full days can be lost just browsing the thousands of items for sale.  Good news is, browsing doesn't have to stop when you leave your computer. Now all of those items can be viewed on your phone courtesy of their new handy-dandy app...which poses a supreme threat to my wallet!

This Place Thursday

**Author's Note: I was doing some research on Blog prompts today while trying to think of something to write about.  I found one geneology website that provided a prompt called "Those Places Thursdays" about places in your geneology.  I thought it was a pretty clever idea even without the geneology tie-in so here goes nothing.**

The Big Apple.  The City that Never Sleeps.  NYC.  Manhattan.  It goes by many names but mostly I call New York City my dream city.  There's just something about NY that gets in my veins and I just can't shake it.  I first visited when I was 16 (aka The PERFECT Sweet 16 present!) and I've been in love ever since.  I try to get there about once a year and would ultimately love to become a New Yorker one day.  I actually start to evolve into a New Yorker as soon as I hit the Holland Tunnel. 

MD Kristen won't walk on red.  NY Kristen goes with the flow of people (If they hit me, it's their fault, not mine)  MD Kristen takes random pictures of random things all the time.  NY Kristen finds this embarassing and "touristy".  MD Kristen eats at chain restaurants more often than she should.  NY Kristen finds this utterly distasteful and would never enter one when other choices are so limitless. 

It's actually kind a creepy especially now that I'm referring to myself in the third person.  Ok enough of that tangent.

Anyway...

There are so many things to love about it (and only 2 things to hate: the Yankees and the Jets. Yuck!).  Broadway.  The Carnegie Deli.  The fact there's a stunningly beautiful park in the middle of all that steel and cement.  Hailing cabs.  The subway. The attitude. The hustle.  The bustle.  The people.  The food (oh, how I LOVE the food!).  I can never name just one thing that touches me.  Everything I've fallen head over heals about is quintissential New York in my head.  And it will always be my home away from home.

Eataly (Have I mentioned how great the food is here?)

Empire State Building from the Strand Hotel

LOVE @ 6th and 54th

Rockefeller Center

William Bryant overseeing his park

View from Top of the Rock

Central Park

My "visually interesting" shot of the Empire State

St. Patrick's Cathedral on 5th Avenue

My Mary Tyler Moore moment, If only I had a beret to throw in the air.

Say Cheese!

So with the invention of the internet, comes all sorts of promising things for humanity.  We are able to research important topics like cures for diseases or poverty outreach with a few clicks of the mouse.  We can communicate with loved ones who are thousands of miles away using an app.  We can receive breaking news the second it hits.  However, my personal favorite of the millions of uses for the internet is photo stalking. Oh come on, like it's just me!  I'm sure we all do it, I'm just the nerd who's admitting to it.  We all like to check in on friends we haven't seen or talked to in years on Facebook and rate their lives based on their profile pics.  We all check out Instagram feeds multiple times a day. We all peruse those emails each day that have seemingly visited the entire Northern Hemisphere before it's reached us.  That, my friend, is photstalking and personally, I'm ok with it.

As somone who cannot seem to take a good picture to save my life, (I'm sure it has something to do with the fact that I'm using a point and shoot instead of a DSLR but that's beside the point...) I love that others in the online universe can.  It gives me hope that one day I will actually produce an amazing shot like these amateur photographers.

Just for the record, there is a point behind this weird confession. 

This week I've stumbled upon 2 amazing examples why photostalking is so much fun.  The first is Dear Photograph.  Dear Photograph is a Tumblr account run by Taylor Jones that has a very simple premise at its heart, but has produced some of the most heart warming, beautiful pictures I've seen. He "was inspired to start his website Dear Photograph as he flipped through old family photos at his parents' kitchen table. When he came across an image of his brother sitting at that very same table, he lifted it up and snapped a picture of the picture. In a moment, the idea for DearPhotograph.com was born."  The entire site (and book as well) contains photos of photos in the same place they were originally taken.  Okay, maybe the "simple" premise isn't so simple to explain but just check the site to see how touching some of the scenarios are.  Add to the photos, letters from the photographers about each picture, and the site has turned me into a blubbering mess.  Dear Photograph has inspired me to add an adendum to my 29th year list, I am now determined to take one of these pics and upload it to the site.  Of course, I'm a little OCD so it might take me a while to find the perfect picture but at least I have until next April...

The second nifty set I happened upon originally in  Wired Magazine but I found out later the photographer also has a blog: Bent Objects. (Thanks Aunt M!)  After you've teared up from Dear Photograph, you'll need something to lighten the mood and these will do just that.  Not much to say other than they are super clever and super cute! 

Enjoy!

A Consultant's Life (NOT) for Me

So the big interview was today and lucky for me there were no case studies in sight.  The building was slick and the interviewees were very sweet. I didn't take the wrong train or wind up in North when I was trying to go South.  But, I just can't put my figure on why I know I don't want the position.  I'm not saying they're offering, but if they do I won't be accepting. (Well that was anti-climactic, wasn't it?)

The job was a "consultant" position which is pretty much the same thing I'm dealing with now.  I basically am told every few months which client I'm going to be working on.  That client could be here in MD or in ND.  I never know.  But I do know that I hate that dread.  I hate not knowing or not having a choice what I'm going to be working on.  In this new company I'd be based around the DC Metro area.  However, there's still the chance that I could be driving to VA every week or the contract could be up with one client and I'd be thrown into something else. (I do a lot of editing: Inconsistency is my WORST enemy!)  The 2 women that interviewed me were about my age and seemed perfectly happy with that life.  All I could think was how do you do this with kids? I know I'm thinking a little too far in advance (landing a baby-daddy would be helpful first...) but once you get into a position like that, it's very hard to find something else.

All in all not the dream job I'd imagined but I wouldn't call the interview a total bust.  It was great practice.  And I think it made me realize a few things I really want out of my perfect career.  I realized that consistency is important to me so no consulting jobs or travel all around the world jobs (unless the Travel Channel is offering in which case I'm ALL IN!)  What's really important to me is that I find a job to help people.  I hate that my only purpose in my position now is to make my bosses money.  I know that money is important but making a difference is important too (in my little world anyway)!  I'm going to start focusing my search on hospitals, schools, non-profits, and universities. These are the environments in which I think I can do the most good but which also have departments that match my skill sets. (eLearning in case you were wondering)  Lastly, I'm hoping to find something  where I can be creative too.  eLearning is fun and can be really exciting but not when your clients are boring and want the same stuff day in and day out.

So check that out.  After one terrifying bust of an interview, I've already mapped out my perfect career! Now who wants to hire me...??

Study Up!

Tomorrow is the big interview.  Without actually having the interview yet, I'm fairly certain I've never had one like it.  I'm terribly concerned that I'm going to flub it but I'm trying to think positive.  I'm also slightly troubled that I haven't quite figured out what the job is but I'm hoping that will happen tomorrow. 

Off to study some more case studies (apparently a case study interview is a thing...who knew?)  Wish me luck!

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's day to all the moms out there, especially my truly amazing mom and my wonderful aunts!  Love you girls!  What would I do without you?!

*

Don’t poets know it
Better than others?
God can’t be always everywhere: and, so,
Invented Mothers.

*

-Sir Edwin Arnold

Girly Geek

Have I mentioned lately how much I love technology?  Tech and I never used to get along. In fact, in high school, I was convinced that computers had it out for me because they could smell my fear.  But over the last few years I've done a 180.  I'm kind of obsessed by all things technology.  I geek out over youtube stars, twitter posts and user interfaces (this last one is a surprise even to me sometimes, but have you seen the new Etsy app?  Awesome!)

So imagine my glee when I found out about the SITS Girls.  I can't believe it took me this long to discover them.  From what I can tell (I'm still researching), they are a community of girl writers dedicated to all things bloggy.  They hold Bloggy Boot Camps (dying to go!) and work to pair bloggers with companies for financial opportunities.  Super cool!  If I want to make something of this blog, I'm thinking this is the perfect way to do it.  I've loved what I read so here goes nothing!  Hopefully soon, you'll be reading about some fun black tie event I'm getting paid to attend (hey, a girl can dream, can't she?!)

*Check their site out for all kinds of fun information and if you have any experience using them, please drop me a line to tell me how it was.  I'm uber-curious to hear!

Friday Five

1. Geico: Let's face it, it's never fun to be in an accident. But so far other than the soreness after the accident, it's been relatively painless.  They're handling everything without a single issue.  Gotta love a company that's easy to work with!

2. This is such a couch-potato-ey thing to say but I love that not one of my bubble shows got cancelled this year.  Scandal, Cougartown and Up All Night (oh my!) will all be back next year making me a very happy tv-watcher indeed!

3. I love when a last second "kitchen sink" recipe comes together.  I had leftover pie crust that I was dying to do something with.  So I filled it with scrambled eggs, sausage, onions, peppers and cheese.  I baked it and slathered it with left over homemade salsa then devoured it.  I usually hate all that I cook (I haven't gotten the family secret to success in the kitchen yet) but I do have to say that I amazed myself.  Yum!


4.  These super-cute maracas can be found over at OhDeeDoh.  My niece so needs a set!

5. Spending 3 hours looking for the perfect "interview suit" only to finally find it at the first store you went into 3 hours ago.  So that happened...but looonnnnggg story short, I got the perfect suit in a color other than the normal black. Hoorah!  Let's hope it does its work and gets me a job.

Instagram: Insta-fun!

As most people with iPhones can attest, there are millions of senseless apps that you can download in just a few finger taps which provide endless fun.  As an iPhone user myself, I'm not such a fan of buying tons of apps because, let's face it, I'm cheap!  If you were to take a look at my phone, you'd find Facebook (of course), Instagram, Yelp, Golf Channel and Foodspotting.  Are you seeing a trend here?  They're all free! What's not to love!?  I use them all pretty much daily but recently I've gotten slightly obsessed with Instagram.  I've yet to figure all the ins and outs of it but it's about the coolest app ever.  Being able to take pics with your phone is one thing but being able to change said pics with cool artsy filters, is entirely something else.  I haven't quite figured out large-scale photo editing tools like Photoshop, although it is on my list to learn this year.  So Instagram being small-scale and easy to use makes me slightly more trigger-happy.

After about a week of using it, I realized they were getting posted to the Instagram universe for everyone to see so that slowed me down...a bit.  But I fear that I'm becoming one of "those" people that take random pictures of leaves or my lunch and expect people to enjoy them.  For those that are following me, I apologize for the randomness but it's just so fun!  Feel free to peruse the shots below and draw your own conclusions of my new addiction. 

Amelia Earhart's Lockheed Vega: Smithsonian

Smithsonian Air and Space Museum

Dumbo at the Smithsonian

Jefferson Memorial and The Cherry Blossoms (Kinda proud of this one : )

My mini-orchid (I am currently watering what's left of this beautiful flower: the stick)

Thank you flowers from a friend's garden

Sunrise over the golf course behind my office

Early morning fire at La Madeleine

See what I mean?  This little beauty really turns out some fun shots....

My name is Kristen and I'm an Instagramaholic.

Worst Nightmare (one of a few)

I have a confession to make: I am entirely TOO shy for my own good.  I acquired proof of this today while attending a job fair.  I apparently do not have the same skills that everyone else has when it comes to approaching people. I went to the job fair today (worst nightmare) and had no idea how to act or what to do.  I made about 10 laps and the only people I actually spoke to, spoke to me first.  I'm pretty sure they were trying to see if I was casing the joint. So long story short,  the job fair went down as an epic fail.

Seeing everyone else schmooze with the recruiters and make small talk with the HR Reps, I started to wonder how they learned these skills.  Were they all born this way or was there class I missed? I always stress that I'm going to say something wrong which is slightly crazy I know.  But here's the thing, a few years ago I somehow got in a Facebook "fight" with someone I didn't even know when I wasn't even talking to her so you could say that I'm a little gun shy.  My fear (worst nightmare) is that I'm going to offend someone.  I re-read emails to make sure this doesn't happen.

I'd like to be able to issue a warning to people when I first meet them.  So here's your fair warning:  I really am a nice person.  I love meeting new people and would love to make new friends.  I'm not being rude and I honestly want to talk to you and learn about you but I don't know how.  Please, just make the first move or it's just not happening.

Thank you for listening and I look forward to (maybe...) talking to you soon.

Listen to Your Heart

I could not be any happier to write this post in honor of someone very close to me that got some wonderful, amazing, fantastic heart news today, so I'm asking you to listen to your hearts like she did.  Learn more about your heart and certain risks you may have by visiting the American Heart Association.  It's never too late to turn a bad situation around and the AHA is full of resources to help you do that by learning, advocating and most importantly being well!

Reading the Weekend Away

After spending every free moment this weekend with my nose buried in "The Fry Chronicles", I finally finished it late last night.  I knew it would be good but I never realized how good it would be.  For those who don't know him, he's a British writer/comedian/actor/historian and all around (from what I can tell) good egg.  But the life he's led and the opportunities he's had are what make his story remarkable. 

As you learn in the book, after a fairly "normal"childhood, he faced some demons head on and went to prison for a bit.  After being released he was able to pass the test for Cambridge and became one of only a few students that attended Cambridge under similar circumstances.  From there, he jumped into acting. Then became a member of the Footlights where he met his lifelong writing partner Hugh Laurie and a slew of other big name Brits such as Emma Thompson and Tony Slattery.  As much as I loved hearing the stories of his career beginnings, what I was most interested in as a Psych major was his thoughts on living with Manic-Depression. 

In the mid-90s, at the peak of his career, he suffered a nervous breakdown per se, walked a way from a starring role on the West End and very nearly committed suicide.  After coming through to the other side, he was diagnosed with Manic-Depression and has been open about his condition ever since.  I learned none of this through the book, however.  He ended his 425 page memoir at his 30th birthday.  He failed to write about the last 25 years of his life.  I have to say I was pretty annoyed!  I'm guessing this leaves him open to write "Fry Chronicles 2" which will not be arriving in the States anytime soon (there's a 2 year delay at least between books published in UK and selling said books here in the US).

But other than the end coming much too soon for my liking, the book has reached the top ten list of books I'd take with me on a desert island (yes, us geeks have lists like that).  I knew a great deal about him already, but he's someone I can't seem to get out of my head.  He's garnered this amazing career with sheer talent and grabbing the opportunities that were thrown at him.  He's taken the difficulties that life has dealt him with grace and patience. He's a geek who loves words and dude who loves to shop.  What's not to love about him?! He's why I'm so gung-ho about finding a job that I LOVE.  He's living proof that it's possible.  Hopefully in my case though, without the prison part...

A Full Foodie Day

The day started with a yummy breakfast at the Paper Moon and continued on from there.  I've talked about the Paper Moon before.  It's currently on my list of favorite places in Baltimore and I've only ever been there one other time.  I ordered the same breakfast again (Spring Egg) and it was just as delicious.  What makes this place great is not the food (but the food is to die for), it's the environment.  It's like a hermit's attic, full of chatzchkes and knick-knacks galore and I'm certain it would only work in Baltimore.

After breakfast it was on to Hagerstown for some outlet shopping then on to Frederick for yummy meal number 2.  I've been dying to try Cuban for a while ever since I decided to be adventurous.  All I can say is Cuban food was well worth the wait.  We had lunch/dinner (linner? dunch?) at Sabor de Cuba, a newly opened restaurant in downtown Frederick.  The space was quaint and comfortable, the servers were helpful and the food was out of this world!  We decided on empanadas as an appetizer, one chicken and one beef.  I thought the beef was delicious until I had the chicken.  It had so much flavor that I easily could have polished off a plate by myself.  For my meal, I had a pork sandwich with onions and mayo on a toasted baguette with a side a maduros (sweet plaintains).  I was worried the sandwich would be boring but I shouldn't have been.  I'm guessing they slow-roasted the pork and I can't even begin to guess what spices they used.  All I know is that it hit the spot and by the end of the meal I was a happy girl!  (If you're in the mood for a weird combo, add the maduros to the sandwich: something about the salty and sweet totally made it work!)  After a meal like that, I should have been done, but you have to have dessert, right?  So we walked it off by doing a bit of shopping then headed for a cupcake.  Now I'm stuffed and happy and ready for bed after a wonderful day to start the week!

*Author's note: You'll notice that there are no photos of the actual food.  I'm a terrible food blogger that apparently cannot remember to take actual pictures of said food.  I guess I'm usually too busy digging in to notice the camera that has been placed in front of me to jog my memory!  I will do my darndest to start remembering to take more foodie pics, if for no other reason than foodie pics are my favorites to see of other photographers!