Friday Five: Chrismas Edition

I don't know about you, but my official start of the holiday season is when the radio stations start playing Christmas music around the clock.  Sure they play the same 10 songs over and over again, but it never fails to get me in the Christmas mood.  So as a start to (hopefully) a few holiday themed Friday Fives, here are my top 5 favorite Christmas songs.

1. "All I Want for Christmas is You" by Mariah Carey: But honestly the version I like the best isn't by Mariah Carey at all.  It's by the students and teachers in one of the last scenes in "Love, Actually", which just happens to be another holiday tradition for me, and just so happens to be the best romantic comedy ever made.  It's the perfect scene and song combo and I can never watch without getting a big stupid grin on my face.  And of course whenever I hear the song on the radio, the scene never fails to play in my head.

2. "Old City Bar" by Trans-Siberian Orchestra: If you've never heard TSO, imagine a Punk-Rock version of Manheim Steamroller.  They write 90% of their songs with some classics thrown in for good measure.  Their concerts are full of musicians wearing tuxedos and fancy dresses, full orchestras and electric guitars,  and lasers & fog.  It's entirely too difficult to explain and sounds ridiculous but it all works and makes for quite the spectacle.  I would probably list every one of their songs from their four Christmas CDs as my favorites (they are my constant holiday soundtrack usually starting in November) but this one, by far, is my absolute favorite.  It's not just a song;  it's a story and perfectly captures the feeling and the magic of Christmas.

 

3. "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" by Barenaked Ladies and Sarah McLachlan: This is one of those songs that the darn radio stations never play.  It's just a fun version of an old classic.

 

4. "Carol of the Bells" by Manheim Steamroller: I'm pretty sure that even if you hate Christmas music, you are guaranteed to at least know Carol of the Bells.  And who better to perform it than the masters of Christmas music?  This has been one of my favorite versions of this song since I was little.

 

5. "Coming Home" by Sugarland: I'm a HUGE fan of Sugarland and will pretty much listen to anything they release.  Their Christmas album is absolutely fantastic so choosing just one was difficult.  "Coming Home" kind of falls into the same category as "Old City Bar".  It's pretty much a story and perfectly captures the feeling of family at Christmas.

 

*6. (Bonus because I couldn't leave this song off the list) "The 12 Days of Christmas" by Straight No Chaser: I've always loved this song.  It was a tradition to sing  and dance (oh yes, there were accompanying dance moves) this song in high school every year at the Christmas concert.  An entire auditorium full of high school girls , screaming "5 Gooooolllldennnnn Rings" was quite the sight to behold.  It's even more fun to try to teach all the moves to a group of 4-year olds, while desperately trying to remember how many drummers were drumming or ladies were dancing.  Though, I'm absolutely certain they looked much cuter than we did even if we didn't quite get the words down.  So I was super excited when this new version popped up on the radio last year. Absolutely no one I know likes it, but I happen to think it's brilliant!



Not Sure What to Say

I'm fairly certain that I've got some form of writer's block...blogger's block?(Is that even a thing?)   I've been literally staring at my computer screen for 45 minutes and haven't thought of one single thing to say, which added to last night's lame post, is enough to make me batty. 

I suppose I can talk about how karma let me down this morning when I woke up to find I was not a multi-millionaire.  I had plans.  I was going to give lots away to family and friends.  I was going to pay off my house and give it to someone who needed a place to live.  There was a list of charities that would be reaping the rewards.  Those darn plans should have been enough to tip the lottery scales in my direction, don't you think?  But, alas, it was not meant to be. 

Or I can talk about the highlight of my day which shouldn't really be a highlight, but because I'm a bit of a nerd, it is: I pre-ordered my Hobbit opening day tickets.  RealD 3D baby!  I even started reading the book today to prepare.  I know that as a sci-fi/fantasy fan I should have read it a long time ago, but I thought it would be as difficult to read as Lord of the Rings.  Little did I know that because it was originally a children's book, it's much easier to make it through.  So far I'm loving it!

Of course, neither of these things add up to an eventful or thought-provoking post.  You'll just have to forgive me for living such a dull life right now.  Soon, there'll be fun holiday happenings to write about.  So I promise in the coming weeks, I'll try not be such an old lady. 

Right Now

Right Now ~ I'm trying desperately to keep my eyes open long enough to write this post which is why tonight's subject is so utterly dull...

Right Now ~ I'm actively planning what I shall do when I win the $550 million in the Powerball this evening (Charities, family, friends and LOTS of travel if you must know)

Right Now ~ I've just finished "Shakespeare" by Bill Bryson and am planning on starting "The Hobbit" in preparation for "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey."

Right Now ~ I'm freezing!  I really hate winter. 

Right Now ~ I'm writing by the light of a mini-snowhead Christmas tree.  Can't wait to get the real one this weekend!

Right Now ~ I'm off to dream pleasant dreams of far-off lands and hitting the jackpot!

A Message to the Future

I've always been fascinated by the argument that Shakespeare wasn't Shakespeare; that someone else wrote the plays he's credited with.  It seems incomprehensible that we're not 100% sure who wrote some of the most influential works in the English language.  But I suppose it makes sense. Four hundred years is an awful long time. 

Though even in a time, when record-keeping wasn't paramount, it seems a bit sketchy that the greatest playwright who has ever lived, could stay so far off of the radar.  There is a total of seven years where there is absolutely NO mention of the man.  That is to say, we have no idea if he was living in London, Paris, or the moon for that matter, or if he was writing, acting or even working.  Is a disappearing act such as that even possible in today's world?

I think not. Some people may gripe about twitter, and facebook or blogs like this one ruining society by cutting into human contact, but the internet has a better chance of surviving the test of time than parchment did, don't you think?  And based on all of this information being sent into the Ethernet, what will scholars 400 years from now think about us?  Will daily status updates in 140 characters or less, provide an overall setting for our time?  Will blogs unlock the secrets of the holy grail?  Or will any of this information dump even matter in the long run? 

I recently read about Philip Henslowe, a theatre proprietor living in London during Shakespeare's lost years.  His diary still survives today and is fairly substantial because his records are so meticulous.  But even with this meticulous record keeping, his diary is full of things such as a "possible recipe for curing deafness, notes on casting spells and how to pasture a horse." (Bill Bryson)  I can only imagine the scholar who first opened this diary thinking he had the key to the age but found love potions instead.  How upsetting!

I'm sure that most of us fall into the Henslowe camp.  And because of that, I can start to see why it's so difficult to solve these little conundrums such as who wrote Shakespeare. But we're all living in the now just as the Elizabethans were living then.  If we only knew we were going to be awesome some day, I'm sure we'd all start to take better records so the future could learn how very awesome we were.   Hindsight is 20/20 afterall...

"Stars" in her Eyes

It was your average dull Monday here, nothing too exciting, nothing new.  However, it seems that other, more glamorous (depending on your definition of glamorous) have been busy over the course of the last few days.  It always amazes me that with all the good going on in the world, these are the kinds of things that make headlines.

Chris Brown keeps it classy by launching a profanity laced and vulgar "twitter war: with a female comedian that believed he should be in jail for beating his girlfriend.  Really?! How does this man still have a career worth millions and fans that worship him, while thousands of upstanding citizens are just trying to make ends meet? 

The kid from Two and Half Men launched a YouTube video biting the hand that feeds him by insulting the show that he's currently starring in.  Don't get me wrong, I personally think that Two and Half Men is filth too, but if I was on it, I don't think I'd think it was a smart business move to insult my bosses.

Then of course, there's the less than sparkly reviews of Lifetime's biopic, Liz and Dick.  Did no one see Lindsay Lohan playing an icon like Elizabeth Taylor as a bad idea before?  This falls into the could have been prevented category, I suppose.

Then, we have the less bad, and more sad end of the spectrum (and just for the record, I'm OK with this making headlines because the people behind this seem to be fine, upstanding, and talented), BBC's Sherlock could be delayed here in the States until...2014.  As someone who's finally caught up on this fantastic show, be still my heart!  I really wish someone had warned me I'd have to wait this long.  If they had, I'd have waited longer to catch up.

Let's hope for some more uplifting headlines in the coming days, because these are just depressing.  The glamorous lives of "stars" are supposed to cheer us up, not worry for the state of humanity.

Too Close for Comfort

As a fan of a fairly good football team, I think we take our Ravens for granted.  We just assume that they're going to win when they're playing a team that's 4 and 5.  But, no.  We're forced to sit on the edge of our seats for 4 hours, until the time when the whole darn shebang comes down to Justin Tucker's right foot.  Holy Moly!  And people wonder why I already have grey hair!

But we won, and I suppose that's all that matters.  9 and 2 baby!  Not a bad way to end a wonderful long weekend full of Christmas shopping, Christmas decorating, a new restaurant and lots & lots of turkey with the family.

I suppose it's time to bring on Monday...after all, it's the only way I'm going to see Friday : )

"I am Shakespeare"

I love reading plays.  In fact, one of my favorite things to do is to hit the Drama bookshops in NYC in search for new ones to check out.  That's actually where I found my new favorite: "I am Shakespeare".  It was written by Mark Rylance which is the reason I picked it up in the first place.  A few years ago the bestie and I were lucky enough to see Boeing, Boeing in NYC with Mark Rylance and a slew of other fantastic actors.  By the end of the play, my stomach ached from laughing so hard and one of the main reasons was Mark Rylance. 

So my expectations were pretty high when I saw that he'd written a play, and he did not disappoint.  Apparently, it was first performed at the Chichester Theatre festival a few years ago, but it takes a while to make it across the pond (another point in England's column).  It's meant to have audience participation so I'm sure it's even more enjoyable live but it was fairly brilliant to read.  It's centered around the question: Who wrote Shakespeare's works? (A fascinating topic, to me anyway, but that's a whole other post)  Personally, I'm in the camp that good 'ole Will wrote all of his plays but the characters, which include Francis Bacon, Shakespeare himself, among others, make pretty good arguments.  In the end, the question is never solved, just as it is in real life, but the comedy of errors up to that point, is so laugh out loud funny, that you really don't mind.

Friday Five: Thanksgiving Edition

A few (well 5 technically) of my favorite things about this particular time of year.

1. Stuffing: I know everyone goes ga ga over turkey, and I do love turkey, but my favorite part of the Thanksgiving feast is most definitely stuffing.  Stuffing patties, baked stuffing, stuffing in a turkey, and the best, turkey and stuffing sandwich.  Delicious!

2. A feast with family: You have to love a holiday that encourages you to share thanks with those you love and eat until your heart's content.

3. Black Friday sales: Although, the sales weren't as good this year, the whole craziness of Black Friday is infectious.

4. Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade: It used to be all floats and marching bands which was fun, but got a little old.  I'm loving the new addition of all the musical guests and performances of the show casts.

5. The official start of the holiday season:  I'm stressed as all get out about what to buy for pretty much everyone, but I suppose this time of year is pretty much perfect. 

Gobble Gobble

 

"For each new morning with its light,
For rest and shelter of the night,
For health and food, for love and friends,
For everything Thy goodness sends."

 

~Ralph Waldo Emerson

*

Wishing you all a very Happy Thanksgiving!

Thankful

I'm thankful for my fantastic family who are always there for me.  I love them dearly and couldn't imagine life without them.

I'm thankful for my niece who never fails to make me smile.  Life would be a much duller place without her giggles.

I'm thankful for the bestie.  As different as she and I are, I'm always astonished by how similarly our minds work.

I'm thankful for creativity.  Books, TV, movies, Food, Pinterest: It's everywhere and I love it! Clever ideas never fail to excite me.

I'm thankful for possibility.  What's here right now is pretty great, but the possibility of things to come is pretty extraordinary too.

I grumble so much over the course of the year; it's nice to focus on what's really good for a change.  And you know what?  There's actually quite a lot of that.

MMMacarons

As a reader of all things foodie, I, of course, knew what macarons were.  I just hadn't gotten a chance to try them yet.  The pictures I've seen in books and magazines are gorgeous.  Little bite-size snacks in a rainbow of colors ready to be gobbled up by some lucky foodie.  But I'd also heard that they were a pain in the neck and almost impossible to master because of the number of ingredients: 3.  That's right, there are only about 3 ingredients, 4 if you're going for crazy flavors, and anything made with that little, leaves a lot to chance.  But somehow through all of this, they've become the new "cupcake", in the land of sweets-fiends.  Basically they're the "In" thing right now that everyone is making and everyone is selling.  Everyone, that is, in big cities.

The problem I have with Maryland is that there aren't many good bakeries here, and even if you find a good one, they're not bound to have many macarons.  So it really was up to NYC  introduce me to them, seeing as I'm not getting to Paris anytime soon.  And try I did.

I started simply at Woops in the Park in Bryant Park with a double chocolate.  And O-M-G was it delicious.  I had always been skeptical that I would enjoy them because one major ingredient is almonds, which I hate.  I was pleasantly surprised that I couldn't taste the almonds at all.  All I could taste was the chocolate cookie which is like a brownie and the ganache inside.  Yum!

Then, it was on to Union Square where I had an Elvis. I feel terrible that I missed the name of this place because it was just as delicious!  How can you possibly go wrong with Peanut Butter and Banana?  Then, it was on to Le Maison du Chocolat in Rockefeller Center for more Chocolate goodness.  There was a small detour into the crummy when I tried a Coconut at Dean & Deluca.  While I adore Dean & Deluca's tea, they have no business making macarons: Ick!

On Sunday, I had yet another chocolate (Are you sensing a pattern here?) at Bouchon Bakery and it was fairly dreamy as well.  Lastly, I decided that I needed to go back to the beginning for some more Woops deliciousness.  Rumor had it that they made a Red Velvet with Cream Cheese frosting inside but they were sold out when I was there on Friday.  Indeed they did which I purchased...along with 5 of its closest friends. (I think I need to find a meeting!) Along with the Red Velvet I bought Lemon (for my mom which she loved, I hate lemon so I'll refrain from commenting), Chocolate/Peanut Butter, Sea Salt Caramel, Coconut, and Chocolate.  All (except the lemon) were just as delicious as the first.

So as you can see, they seem to be my new obsession.  And if you see them anywhere, I guarantee, the second you try them, they'll be yours as well.  So, my only question is, who's going to fun my trip to Paris so I can try them on their home turf?

Typhoid Mary

I had planned on waxing poetic on my new obsession with macarons. That is of course, until I caught the mother of all colds.  If I could keep my eyes open long enough, I'd tell you all about these little French Dreams and where best to buy them in NYC.  But, since I can't breathe through my nose and I've been praying for bed since I woke up this morning, that post will have to wait until tomorrow.
 Good Night.....zzzzzzzzzzzzzz...........

Weekend in NYC

There were macarons, homemade pasta, Chelsea Market, shopping, Christmas markets and lots & lots of fun to be had.

All in all, a fabulous way to spend a weekend!

Discovery Central

After an eventful, if not slightly chilly, 2 days in NYC, I've discovered:

Macarons: Where have these tiny little French dreams been all my life?! In 2 days I've tried them from 4 different vendors. I really must be stopped.

Chelsea Market: All kinds of decadent foods, all in one place.  Not to mention, an amazingly cool design concept.

Union Square: Crafty vendors have taken over for the next month and have been selling all sorts of wares (including macarons!) It was there that I had my first and only celebrity sighting so far: Dennis Franz.

St. Bart's does not have Christmas shops: After  a gazillion block walk to see yet another Christmas mart (I really like homemade stuff!) it was discovered, even though it was online, that there are zippo shops at ths gorgeous church this year. Not cool Internet, not cool!

I've got one more evening and most of a day left in this extraordinary city. I hope to have more discoveries, and definitely a few pics to share tomorrow.

Friday Five: NYC Edition

As I took off this morning for a chilly and shopping filled weekend in Manhattan, I thought I'd make today's Friday Five all about one of my most favorite places in the world.  My top 5 favorite things about the city that never sleeps are:

1. The walking.  I love that almost no one (even though, you'd never know it with all the traffic) owns a car.  Everything is within walking distance.  I'm sure living there, it gets a little old when it's snowing or raining but that's what the subway or cabs are for.  There's just something about walking to your office in the morning, stopping at the corner coffee shop for breakfast or hailing a cab when it starts to rain that says quintessential New York to me.

2. The food (obviously!).  You can find just about any kind of food that you desire somewhere in the city.  I searched Yelp earlier for "Manhattan Restaurants" - I got 5322 hits.  How amazing is that?  You could eat out every night of the week (if that number is to be believed) for 14 years and never repeat an outing.  My personal faves have always been John's Pizzeria (located on 44th in an old church with an absolutely stunning stained glass window in the ceiling) and Carnegie Deli (an old staple for everyone travelling to and living in Manhattan, but the corned beef and pastrami are to die for!) 

3. The chaos.  This is an odd thing to say but I love the hustle, the bustle, the noise and the crowds.  It's a little overwhelming at first, but it wouldn't be the New York without it .  If you listen closely enough, just walking a few blocks, you can hear accents and languages from all over the world.  The eavesdropping is perfection too.  New Yorkers are known to be loud so listening to these conversations is fairly simple and a perfect way to spend a few minutes...especially up near 5th and Park Avenues: It's like Lifestyles of the Rich  and not so Famous. (On another note, it bugs the heck out of me that in all the times I've been, the only famous people I've ever seen have been on a stage.  You'd think I'd at least bump into a Broadway star!)

4. The theatre district.  I love the theatre!  There's nothing better than seeing a show live and I've never understood people who've said different. Seeing a show on Broadway is about the most perfect way to spend an evening I can think of.  My favorites have been "The Producers" (with the original cast), "Wicked" (with the original cast) and "Phantom of the Opera (in the 3rd row).  But even when I don't have tickets, being among the crowds in the theatre district before and after show time is just a buzz.  I love scanning the crowds for performers and hearing what the audience thought or hearing thetregoers sing the tunes or quote the lines they've just heard. 

5. The history.  I love that you can walk down pretty much any street and find an historic building, or restaurant or site.  I've seen Ellis Island, the Statue of Liberty, been to the top of Rockefeller Center and walked around Strawberry Fields in Central Park.  I have pictures of the Twin Towers and the Empire State Building,  and the NY Public Library.  NY always seems to be overflowing with new restaurants and construction but the truth is that the buildings that formed the bedrock of the city, still remain, even if some are only in our hearts. 

Start Spreading the News...

I'm leaving, well, tomorrow for NYC.  I look forward to this trip every year because seriously, what's not to love about Manhattan at Christmas?  I'd prefer that we were going a little closer to Christmas so I could see the tree, but I'll get over it.  After some research, I've found tons of Christmas markets that open, as luck would have it, tomorrow.  So those should do the trick to get me into the spirit of things.  Also on the agenda are some foodie related stores: Kitchen Arts & Letters (All foodie and cookbooks!) and Broadway Panhandler (all kitchen supplies!)

Then, of course, some first class noshing.  Haven't exactly decided where yet, but wherever we land, I'm sure it will be delicious...it always is.  Then, we'll tie up the weekend with some serious Christmas shopping...I hope. I really need to get a move on.

So NYC, here I come!

Peaceful Art

I recently read this article about the changing face of the arts in Belfast. This resurgence of arts and theatre is just an extraordinary thing to see.  I've always been a little leery to travel to Northern Ireland.  I know, in my head, that the scars are still there from the conflicts, whereas the conflicts have pretty much vanished.  But in my heart (and this is a terrible thing to admit) but I hear "Bloody Sunday" by U2 whenever I think of this beautiful country.  That all ends today!

This change in outlook is what makes this cultural uprising so exciting.  In a world that's literally exploding each day with conflict and war, they're using creativity to rebuild the broken sections of their world. I would give my left arm to be a part of a project like that!  Between live theatre, and paintings, and museum installations, how exciting must it be to live in the middle of all this growth, after living through such pain and tumult? 

 Like the article says, they're choosing to focus on their bright future instead of the painful past and isn't that just (for lack of a more intelligent word) awesome?! 

Right Now

Right Now ~ I'm finding it extremely difficult to keep my eyes open and I'm not entirely sure why. It's not that I've had a terribly strenuous day but all I want to do is sleep (which is why this post is a bit of a cop out  : )

Right Now ~ I'm staring at the pieces of my Christmas cards knowing full well, those darn things will eventually need assembling.

Right Now ~ I'm looking forward to Friday when I'll be leaving for NYC.  I'm a city girl at heart and the electricity of Manhattan always puts me in a good mood (even if it's not the city I'm really coveting right now...)

Right Now ~ I'm very stuffed from dinner.

Right Now ~ I'm trying to keep up with the NCIS I'm watching but it's difficult when my eyes won't stay open long enough.

Right Now ~ Even though I'm having a hard time keeping up with NCIS, I'm very impressed with the way they're handling the issue of PTSD in the military.  I shouldn't be surprised, these writers really seem to respect the military and it's nice to see during the week of Veteran's day.

Right Now ~ I'm simultaneously fascinated and creeped out by the new Brad Pitt Chanel No. 5 ad. Really?! It's just a little too over the top to be taken seriously and like that man needs any more money or press.

Always Remember

Sergeant James E. Burl, World War II veteran, and one of my most favorite people

**

"On Veterans Day we honor all,
Who answered to a service call.
Soldiers young, and soldiers old,
Fought for freedom, brave and bold.
Some have lived, while others died,
And all of them deserve our pride.
We’re proud of all the soldiers who,
Kept thinking of red, white and blue.
They fought for us and all our rights,
They fought through many days and nights.
And though we may not know each name,
We thank ALL veterans just the same."

*Cheryl Dyson *

 

Though this should have been posted yesterday, Happy Veteran's Day to all veterans past, present, and future.  We honor you and vow never to forget your service and sacrifice.



Way to go Ravens!

Now that was the game we Ravens fans have been waiting the whole season for.  They played well and completely thrashed the Raiders.  I kinda started to feel sorry for Oakland.  I mean 55-20 must be slightly painful.  Of course we should know since we were on the losing side of a score like that just a few weeks ago.

A Ravens win and the (finally!) start to my Christmas shopping.  All in all a wonderful way to spend a Sunday!

Soup, Stew and Sweats

A Soup, Stew and Sweats party is a fairly simple idea.  Everyone brings a soup or stew then we all eat them.  But oh such a perfectly perfect idea!  Such a fabulous evening with wonderful people and delicious food.  I so meant to take pictures of all the soups I tried but I gobbled them up too fast.

I will most definitely be stealing this idea for the future!

Friday Five

I haven't done much web surfing this week so here are the top 5 things I've learned this week.

1. I am a snob and I think I'm OK with that.  Cheesy bars, cheap drinks and bad language are not my idea of a good time.  I'd much rather old theatres, warm tea and a British accent.  I always thought that being a snob was a bad thing, but you just can't fight personal taste.

2. Elections just tick everybody off.  Whether you're on the winning side or the losing side, it's never over the morning after.  We're all forced to listen to arguments and complaints for days on end.  Really people?!  Christmas is coming!  Can't we just drop the bad attitudes in favor of some holiday cheer?

3. My tastes are so much different than my friends' and that's so annoying!  I'm fairly nerdy and I know that my entertainment choices reflect that, but there has to be people out there that at least like a few things that I do!  I'm pretty sure that attending performances of Shakespeare by myself would be pathetic.

4. I really don't get small talk.  It's an art form and like most other art forms, it requires practice.  But I really don't have the drive to practice.  Shyness really cuts into the whole meet new people part of my brain and messes with the small talk synapse. (at least that's what I'm telling myself...)

5. Conservatives are always going to think Liberals are idiots.  And while being called a "moron" or an "Obama-bot" (Really? who coined this term? It's ridiculous!) is getting really old, I must let it go.  Because if I don't, I'm going to give myself a stroke railing against these people who never learned the Golden Rule!

(Almost) That Time of Year

It's hard to believe that 2 weeks from today is Thanksgiving.  Then Black Friday and the official start of the Christmas season.  Holy Moly!  As a Christmas super fan, I can't wait for the radio stations to play carols and houses and stores to decorate.  But I'm also slightly freaked out.  I am usually so much further along in my preparations by this time.  I haven't even finished my cards yet and haven't the foggiest idea what to buy anyone. 

How does this time roll around so quickly each year?  As difficult as it is to believe, I guess it's time to start decking the halls, jingling the bells, and dashing through the (hopefully not too much) snow!

Election Thoughts

 ~ I'm so happy that I don't have to hear another campaign ad for at least 2 years.  I'm not sure if I just noticed them more this year but they seemed out of control!

~Along the lines of the campaign ads, I'm so happy that Facebook will go back to random thoughts on weather rather than heated political debates.  Today was pretty brutal having to hear who was happy and who was beyond unhappy, but I'm thinking by next week, all of the politic-ing will be over at last!

~ I'm still fascinated by the ice map that was used on NBC last night to track returns.  While that had to be a pain in the neck to deal with, it was brilliant!

~ I'm so proud of my home state for passing the marriage equality act. Everyone deserves to get married regardless and I'm happy for my friends that can now legally marry whomever they love.

~Last but not least, I'm quite happy with the results of the election, but there's still a ton of work to be done.  I'm hopeful that the next 4 years will move the US in the right direction towards peace and progress.

Single (Non) Social

I'm fairly certain that there was a class along the way that I missed.  Those who took this class learned how to flirt and talk to strangers.  Apparently while others were in this class, I was learning something useless like Latin...If you hadn't already guessed the singles event didn't go as well I had hoped.

That's not to say that it was a complete bust.  I had a lovely evening catching up with a great friend.  There was plenty to talk about, good food and lots of drink.  But we didn't really meet anyone new.  The make up of the event was not ideal for meeting cute boys.  There were about 30 girls to about 6 guys.  However, if you were a cute boy, you were made in the shade.  But while other girls were mingling amongst the mob, we were chatting at a nice comfy table.  Yes, I do see our mistake...

But we went. That's the important thing.  Now the next time one of these events occurs, we'll know what expect and may actually know how to navigate the masses (with high hopes the masses will be of cute boys...)

Social Single

In my quest to get a life, I've decided to do scary stuff in hopes of meeting new people.  I've not done much of this in the last few months, so it's high time that I start again.  Tomorrow, I'll be attending a singles event at the Chart House sponsored by What's Up Annapolis? magazine.  And I have to say, I'm excited and terrified at the same time.  I have high hopes that I will meet a handsome and sweet gent which is exciting.  But I'm fairly socially inept...it must be said.  I have no idea how to talk to strangers and small talk is not my strong suit, so this could be my worst nightmare. 

But, I'm going and I will hope that at some point in the next 24 hours my personality gets an overhaul and I'll become quite a catch.

Lazy Sunday

You gotta love lazy Sundays...especially when the Ravens get their acts together and pull out a win.

This week is shaping up quite nicely.  A charity event (in hopes of meeting Mr. Right), a happy hour and a Soup party. 

Bring on Monday!

Book Binge

I love weekends!  I finally get to do exactly what I want to do and I'm not too tired to do it.  This weekend, that thing I seem to want to do is read.  I finally finished "The Sherlockian."  It was fantastic but slightly disappointing.  After such an intriguing story, the ending was fairly anti-climatic.  I hate books that just end.  I like things to be tied up in a little bow, which I guess is why I like mysteries so much.  The killer is always caught by the genius detective and will always get what he/she deserves.  But I'd still recommend it to anyone who likes Sherlock and/or mysteries.  The story itself was a creative take and the mystery was worthy of Sherlock himself.

Then it was on to another of Doyle's original Sherlock mysteries. I'm slowly making my way through the short stories.  They've become my intermission between books.  The stories are good, but they don't really hold my interest for long periods of time, so it's difficult to read them all at once.  I actually think they work better spread out since that's how Doyle intended for them to be published.

Then I was in a funk because I wanted to get to a book store to pick up one of the dozens of books on my Pinterest shelf, but ran out of time.  Luckily, I usually have a backlog so I chose "And God Created the Au Pair." The bestie lent me this one months ago and has been on my case to read it the entire time I've had it.  Lucky for her, I'm in my London state of mind, and a book about an Au Pair living in London, sounds about perfect right now.  That is of course, until I can get to a Barnes and Noble : )

Friday Five

1.  Hanging out with the cutest, sweetest, most adorable 3 year old I know.  She's finally decided that sleepovers would be a cool thing and asked if she could sleep at my house tonight.  She was not a happy camper when I told her tonight wouldn't be good, but we could do it another night.  Luckily, she gets over things fairly quickly.  She was in the best mood I've ever seen and was such a joy to be around.  A few minutes of that laugh would cheer anyone up!

2. Fairytales for Twenty-somethings:  This Tumblr is exactly what it says.  Too cute and so creative!

3. Creative Halloween costumes: I'm in the camp that prefers homemade to store bought costumes.  It seems with the rise of Pinterest, others are finally joining my camp.  This year I saw an Olympian (my personal favorite!), a taco, a vending machine and a cupcake.  I swear kids just look cuter in homemade!

4.  (Nerd Alert!) The 11th doctor: I'm fairly head over heels about 10 and have never really warmed to 11.  But I broke down and finaly watched a few episodes this week.  While he'll never be my favorite, I have a new appreciation for Matt Smith.  He's no David Tennant, but he's kind of adorable in a hyperactive sort of way and really does get some great lines. ("I wear a fez now.  Fezes are cool.": )

5.  I'm a bit of a fan of Christmas.  And it's finally almost that time of year again!  Target has already started their campaign.  Ornaments are in the Hallmark store.  And my iPod has already been filled to the brim with Christmas tunes.  I realize we still have Thanksgiving to get through yet, but I'm already in the mood.  I was literally listening to Trans-Siberian Orchestra while giving out candy on Halloween.  Wrong I know, but I can't shake that wide-eyed spirit that comes with getting ready for all things Christmas.  While I haven't even started shopping yet, I say, bring on Santa!

#photoadaynovember

November 1: Something that starts with "C" (How can I not take picture of candy on the day after Halloween?)

November 2: Color

November 3: Breakfast

 

October in a Nutshell

October was really hard for some reason.  I cheated...ALOT.  Most of these pictures are instagrammed versions of old pics.  I'm not sure if it was the topics that were difficult or just my motivation lagging.  But I'm determined to be better this month.