Today is my 29th birthday...Ugh! How did this happen?When did I get so old?
At 29, I:
1. Still have no idea what I want to be when I grow up.
2. Have yet to develop an appreciation for wine or coffee, or beer for that matter...yuck!
3. Haven't yet suckered George Clooney into marrying me.
4. Have a FANTASTIC idea for a food truck but can't get my father to buy in (which is slightly important since he'd be the one cooking!)
5. Judge restaurants by the quality of their Iced Tea.
6. Still bite my fingernails (But trying so hard to stop...I even bought nail polish as an incentive.)
7. Have disovered Pandora and things can only get more expensive from here.
8. Need to get out more.
9. Have finally figured out Football (for the most part...) but still working on Hockey. Go Ravens! Go Caps!
10. Get a little too wrapped up in Golf Tournaments and can waste entire weekends if the right players are in the lead.
11. Am currently wearing clothes that are 2 sizes smaller than last year at this time.
12. Spend WAY too much time thinking about whether my hair is acting like it should.
13. Spend too much time trolling wedding websites and know exactly what my wedding will look like. The groom's face is a little fuzzy though : )
14. Think the perfect job would be a travel writer a la Anthony Bourdain but could really use some funding to make this happen.
15. Love the idea of sailing, just not so much the execution.
16. Have serious baby fever but I should probably get husband fever first.
17. Have become a bit of a Sharepoint wiz but would love to master Adobe.
18. Completely failed at taking more pictures each day.
19. Am slightly obsessed with Instagram.
20. Haven't discovered my calling yet which is really starting to irk me.
21. Want to re-decorate my house and make it more girly-kitschy-chic, whatever the heck that means...
22. Could watch USA Network all day long if left to my own devices.
23. Am loving my New Year's Resolution to try new foods, and will continue to do so. Just wish my friends would do the same...
24. Have realized the kind of person I don't want to be but not the kind I want to be.
25. Am fickle
26. Am not nearly as neat as my mother hoped I would be.
27. Am slightly neurotic when it comes to grammar and typos.
28. Still blush at the mention of anything risque.
29. Want to write in this blog everyday to satisfy my creativity but worry that I'm just a little too much of a slacker to do so...
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Saturday, September 3, 2011
Why you gotta be so mean?
I've been thinking about this post for the last few weeks and it seems that the only way I could get my feelings adequately across is by using the lyrics of a Taylor Swift song...which if you know me, you know she's so not my favorite person! However she seems to have the right sentiment for the moment. Where do I begin?...
A few months ago I started a new job that I love with lots of people that I love. They are wonderful people and I really love working with them...most of them that is. Over the last few weeks I've come to realize that 95% of the people are truly lovely to be around, but it's that last 5% that are really vexing me. To that 5%: I implore you to listen to said Taylor Swift song.
These people are nice to each other on the surface, but never miss a chance to bad-mouth the other behind their backs. They are short, curt and even rude to others asking the simplest questions. They are unprofessional in meetings, acting like school children gossiping about their enemies.
To deal with this behavior, over the course of the last week, I've been told to:
1. Let (insert rude behavior here) roll off my back.
2. "Try to toughen up!"
3. "Try not caring so much!"
4. Just say (insert expletive here) and get on with your life.
5. Stop being so nice all the time.
All of these things, I know will fail miserably. So I've decided (since this is a blog about doing new things) to do the only thing I know how to deal with the situtation and to ignore all of this advice. I know this sounds un-sensible but I promise there's logic behind it!
I am a nice person. That's who I am and who I try to be. I try to treat others in the same way that I want to be treated. I don't see the point in being ignorant or rude. It doesn't get me anywhere. What's wrong with that? Why would I want to change to become someone I'm not? That's just lowering myself to the same standards that aggravate me on a daily basis.
So my pledge to myself and the people I love is that I will not change. I know this will probably cause some heart ache (along with all my good qualities, I tend to take things too personally, and I will most likely have an ulcer by the time I'm 30 because of this...) but this is the person that I've grown to be. And for the first time I don't see a problem with it!
Not to sound so cliche but wouldn't the world be a lot nicer place if more people weren't so mean?
A few months ago I started a new job that I love with lots of people that I love. They are wonderful people and I really love working with them...most of them that is. Over the last few weeks I've come to realize that 95% of the people are truly lovely to be around, but it's that last 5% that are really vexing me. To that 5%: I implore you to listen to said Taylor Swift song.
These people are nice to each other on the surface, but never miss a chance to bad-mouth the other behind their backs. They are short, curt and even rude to others asking the simplest questions. They are unprofessional in meetings, acting like school children gossiping about their enemies.
To deal with this behavior, over the course of the last week, I've been told to:
1. Let (insert rude behavior here) roll off my back.
2. "Try to toughen up!"
3. "Try not caring so much!"
4. Just say (insert expletive here) and get on with your life.
5. Stop being so nice all the time.
All of these things, I know will fail miserably. So I've decided (since this is a blog about doing new things) to do the only thing I know how to deal with the situtation and to ignore all of this advice. I know this sounds un-sensible but I promise there's logic behind it!
I am a nice person. That's who I am and who I try to be. I try to treat others in the same way that I want to be treated. I don't see the point in being ignorant or rude. It doesn't get me anywhere. What's wrong with that? Why would I want to change to become someone I'm not? That's just lowering myself to the same standards that aggravate me on a daily basis.
So my pledge to myself and the people I love is that I will not change. I know this will probably cause some heart ache (along with all my good qualities, I tend to take things too personally, and I will most likely have an ulcer by the time I'm 30 because of this...) but this is the person that I've grown to be. And for the first time I don't see a problem with it!
Not to sound so cliche but wouldn't the world be a lot nicer place if more people weren't so mean?
Friday, April 8, 2011
28 for 28...
So today's post is another thing that REAL scrappers usually scrap. So, since I'm just a wannabe, I'll write about it instead. I've already gotten off to a good start, so this may be one list I actually complete : )
The 28 things that I vow to do while I'm 28 are:
1. Join Match.com (again...) and actually try to make it work for me.
2. Create and stock a store in Etsy.
3. Attend an Orioles, a Ravens and a Capitals game.
4. Try VOLT again in a new season and Bryan Voltaggio's coming soon new restaurant. (I'll try pretty much whatever this man offers : )
5. Visit at least 4 states.
6. Try any food that I'm offered. (I may live to regret this...)
7. Make a new friend.
8. Take a day in DC to explore the monuments.
9. Reconnect with an old friend.
10.Cut my hair short (I already accomplished this but I started working on this list last week so I figured I could include it!)
11. Try authentic Indian food and Vietnamese Pho.
12. Visit the Visionary Arts Museum, Air and Space Museum and the Smithsonian.
13. Throw a party for no other reason than throwing a party.
14. Volunteer.
15. See at least one show on Broadway (Of course I could always be persuaded to see more than one...)
16. Attend the PGA Tournament in Bethesda in 2011.
17. Tailgate at a sporting event or concert.
18. Take a cooking class.
19. See a classic movie in a movie theatre.
20. Go to the Farmer's Market and actually prepare something using the fruits and veggies I purchase.
21. Write and submit an article for a magazine.
22. Try Yoga.
23. Participate in a race (most likely a walk of some kind...)
24. Enjoy a Boog's sandwich, Thrasher's french fries, fresh-squeezed lemonade, and a Dumser's sundae in the sun with my toes in the sand.
25. Get organized.
26. Design and enact a workable craft space.
27. Learn to crochet.
28. Go OUT more instead of always staying in.
The 28 things that I vow to do while I'm 28 are:
1. Join Match.com (again...) and actually try to make it work for me.
2. Create and stock a store in Etsy.
3. Attend an Orioles, a Ravens and a Capitals game.
4. Try VOLT again in a new season and Bryan Voltaggio's coming soon new restaurant. (I'll try pretty much whatever this man offers : )
5. Visit at least 4 states.
6. Try any food that I'm offered. (I may live to regret this...)
7. Make a new friend.
8. Take a day in DC to explore the monuments.
9. Reconnect with an old friend.
10.
11. Try authentic Indian food and Vietnamese Pho.
12. Visit the Visionary Arts Museum, Air and Space Museum and the Smithsonian.
13. Throw a party for no other reason than throwing a party.
14. Volunteer.
15. See at least one show on Broadway (Of course I could always be persuaded to see more than one...)
16. Attend the PGA Tournament in Bethesda in 2011.
17. Tailgate at a sporting event or concert.
18. Take a cooking class.
19. See a classic movie in a movie theatre.
20. Go to the Farmer's Market and actually prepare something using the fruits and veggies I purchase.
21. Write and submit an article for a magazine.
22. Try Yoga.
23. Participate in a race (most likely a walk of some kind...)
24. Enjoy a Boog's sandwich, Thrasher's french fries, fresh-squeezed lemonade, and a Dumser's sundae in the sun with my toes in the sand.
25. Get organized.
26. Design and enact a workable craft space.
27. Learn to crochet.
28. Go OUT more instead of always staying in.
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
27 at 27...
So most people who scrapbook, tend to scrap things like this, however, I am one of those weird scrappers that don't actually scrapbook. Sure I have all the doo-hickies. I have a lifetime supply of stickers and you could wallpaper the white house with the stacks of paper that I have but scrapping itself eludes me. It's too big of a project for me to settle on. I think that when it comes to things like scrapbooks, you need to have patience (I have none) and you need to have a set topic (which my ADD gets in the way of all the time!) So I prefer to work in smaller venues like cardmaking or creating ABC books for my niece. Those things take just a few minutes and I still get to use all the fancy doo-hickies that I've spent a fortune on. So with that in mind, I'm sharing my 27 things about me at 27 on the blog. Not nearly as pretty but enlightening (I hope : ) if you know me. If not then, feel free to pass. I really am a pretty boring person!
At the age of 27 and 360 days Kristen:
1. Seriously addicted to travel books.
2. Changing careers...again.
3. Doesn't cook nearly enough to justify her beautiful kitchen.
4. Still bites her nails.
5. Finally open to the idea of a blind date. (but still nervous as anything!)
6. Seriously considering joining Match.com
7. Could fill up a week's worth of work with all the artsy ideas in her head.
8. Thinks her niece is about the cutest thing ever!
9. Loves a good margarita every now and then, but still prefers sweets to booze.
10. Attempting to find "her bliss".
11. Adores seeing creativity in all forms.
12. Has 3 separate business plans in her head, but no money to fund any of them.
13. Watches the Food Network all too regularly and is on a first name basis with most of the chefs.
14. Has finally made friends at a job she's soon leaving.
15. Needs to toughen up.
16. Can't pass a Target without buying something.
17. Needs a haircut.
18. Wishes her condo was just a little bit quieter and had a little nicer view.
19. Loves that she's receiving not 1 but 2 magazines for free even after her subscription has officially run out.
20. Misses listening to a bunch of 4 year olds play but not the pay she received to do so.
21. Wants to be adventurous but wishes her friends would too.
22. Has finally realized that she is VERY different from all of her friends and that's OK.
23. Thinks her Cube is much cuter than anybody else's but would still prefer an office!
24. Still blushes at curse words and dirty jokes.
25. Thinks she's not cool enough for Anthropologie but wishes she was.
26. Secretly judges restaurants by the quality of their Iced Tea.
27. All too invested in the Entertainment world.
So there you have it: The inner workings of me at 27. Hope you like!
At the age of 27 and 360 days Kristen:
1. Seriously addicted to travel books.
2. Changing careers...again.
3. Doesn't cook nearly enough to justify her beautiful kitchen.
4. Still bites her nails.
5. Finally open to the idea of a blind date. (but still nervous as anything!)
6. Seriously considering joining Match.com
7. Could fill up a week's worth of work with all the artsy ideas in her head.
8. Thinks her niece is about the cutest thing ever!
9. Loves a good margarita every now and then, but still prefers sweets to booze.
10. Attempting to find "her bliss".
11. Adores seeing creativity in all forms.
12. Has 3 separate business plans in her head, but no money to fund any of them.
13. Watches the Food Network all too regularly and is on a first name basis with most of the chefs.
14. Has finally made friends at a job she's soon leaving.
15. Needs to toughen up.
16. Can't pass a Target without buying something.
17. Needs a haircut.
18. Wishes her condo was just a little bit quieter and had a little nicer view.
19. Loves that she's receiving not 1 but 2 magazines for free even after her subscription has officially run out.
20. Misses listening to a bunch of 4 year olds play but not the pay she received to do so.
21. Wants to be adventurous but wishes her friends would too.
22. Has finally realized that she is VERY different from all of her friends and that's OK.
23. Thinks her Cube is much cuter than anybody else's but would still prefer an office!
24. Still blushes at curse words and dirty jokes.
25. Thinks she's not cool enough for Anthropologie but wishes she was.
26. Secretly judges restaurants by the quality of their Iced Tea.
27. All too invested in the Entertainment world.
So there you have it: The inner workings of me at 27. Hope you like!
Thursday, January 13, 2011
New Year's Resolutions...
Like most people, I make New Year's Resolutions every year and usually abandon them by January 2nd! Case in point: Last year I resolved to take a picture every day in hopes of capturing every day life, not counting on a blizzard to pummel my area with 2 feet of snow about 2 weeks later. After about 8 straight days of taking pictures of nothing but snow drifts, I got bored and gave up. After a week of snow piles, there's just nothing pretty about it anymore! That was about the extent of my 2010 resolutions, so this year I decided (I guess you could say, resolved) to make better resolutions and actually follow through on them.
1. I resolve to eat better and maybe lose a little weight. (I'm pretty sure everyone makes this one so I figured I'd join the crowd.)
So far I'm doing ok with this one. (Aside from that amazing brunch I made this past weekend that I must confess to, just in case Jen and Lisa are reading) I'm focusing on portion control. I can't bring myself to do a "diet" per se or eat Healthy Choice meals every day (I tried one and couldn't even stmach the stuff!) but I'm not eating as much as I usually do. I'm also attempting to eat more fruit as a snack instead of sweets.
2. This is an ammendment to last year's one and only resolution: I resolve to take more pictures. (See what I did there, no pressure to take one every day, just to take "More". Very vague and much easier to follow through on)
So far this one is going pretty well too. I've gotten pictures of an amazing sunrise over UMBC and pictures of a yummy lunch at Chef P's. I would never think of doing this on a regular basis because I never have my camera with me. But with the pressure to take more pictures comes the constant carrying of the camera. So I have it when I need it to take a boring picture of my Bruschetta Roll or an amazing picture of a friend's Chuck-E-Cheese surprise. (Love ya Jen!)
3. I resolve to read more.
This one has been REALLY easy to follow. I'm an avid reader anyway but I don't tend to read much in the winter since there's just too much good TV to watch. So I decided that I was going to read a little every day. So far I've followed it to the Tee. I've finished 2 books since New Year's Day and I'm about half way done a 3rd.
4. I resolve to figure out what to do with this blog by taking this.
Red Velvet Art Blog is an absolutely amazing place to browse, shop or just ogle at all the pretty stuff. I want to take this e-course to try to figure out what she's done right to make this amazing name for herself! I haven't bought it yet but I hope to in the next few weeks. (maybe after I take my 3 AACC courses that I'm so looking forward to!)
5. Lastly, I want to find a guy.
Obviously I haven't succeeded in doing this yet but I resolve to try Match.com (again...) I never really had any luck with it before but I've been told by many of my friends that I am (apparently) trying it again this year. I've decided that I'm too shy for it, but we'll see..If anyone is interested in writing me an amazing profile, I'd be all about it! (Wink, Wink, Carrie, Nudge, Nudge : ) I can see this becoming my scary thing for the week, very soon...
So all in all, I seem to be doing pretty well this year. Here's to 2011!
1. I resolve to eat better and maybe lose a little weight. (I'm pretty sure everyone makes this one so I figured I'd join the crowd.)
So far I'm doing ok with this one. (Aside from that amazing brunch I made this past weekend that I must confess to, just in case Jen and Lisa are reading) I'm focusing on portion control. I can't bring myself to do a "diet" per se or eat Healthy Choice meals every day (I tried one and couldn't even stmach the stuff!) but I'm not eating as much as I usually do. I'm also attempting to eat more fruit as a snack instead of sweets.
2. This is an ammendment to last year's one and only resolution: I resolve to take more pictures. (See what I did there, no pressure to take one every day, just to take "More". Very vague and much easier to follow through on)
So far this one is going pretty well too. I've gotten pictures of an amazing sunrise over UMBC and pictures of a yummy lunch at Chef P's. I would never think of doing this on a regular basis because I never have my camera with me. But with the pressure to take more pictures comes the constant carrying of the camera. So I have it when I need it to take a boring picture of my Bruschetta Roll or an amazing picture of a friend's Chuck-E-Cheese surprise. (Love ya Jen!)
3. I resolve to read more.
This one has been REALLY easy to follow. I'm an avid reader anyway but I don't tend to read much in the winter since there's just too much good TV to watch. So I decided that I was going to read a little every day. So far I've followed it to the Tee. I've finished 2 books since New Year's Day and I'm about half way done a 3rd.
4. I resolve to figure out what to do with this blog by taking this.
Red Velvet Art Blog is an absolutely amazing place to browse, shop or just ogle at all the pretty stuff. I want to take this e-course to try to figure out what she's done right to make this amazing name for herself! I haven't bought it yet but I hope to in the next few weeks. (maybe after I take my 3 AACC courses that I'm so looking forward to!)
5. Lastly, I want to find a guy.
Obviously I haven't succeeded in doing this yet but I resolve to try Match.com (again...) I never really had any luck with it before but I've been told by many of my friends that I am (apparently) trying it again this year. I've decided that I'm too shy for it, but we'll see..If anyone is interested in writing me an amazing profile, I'd be all about it! (Wink, Wink, Carrie, Nudge, Nudge : ) I can see this becoming my scary thing for the week, very soon...
So all in all, I seem to be doing pretty well this year. Here's to 2011!
Friday, December 31, 2010
Eataly is Italy...
This past month I had the opportunity to try "Eataly". For those who don't know, Eataly is a 40,000 square foot Italian Market in the heart of Downtown Manhattan. The place is absolutely filled to the brim with fresh pastas, vegetables, breads, meats, seafood and snacks. It has 2 restaurants, a full Salumi bar and multiple snack bars. It is the brainchild of Mario Battali & Joe and Lidia Bastianich and for a foodie like me it was absolute Nirvana : ) Had I brought a cooler with me to the city it would have been filled to the brim with anything and everything I could carry. However, since I forgot my cooler that day I had to make do with whatever I could eat. And eat I did.
After waiting about 45 minutes for a table at the restaurant section (the wait was made better by all of the amazing sights and smells contained in this building) we received a primo seat right in front of the kitchen where we got to witness the magic happen. Our appetizer was a slab of fresh buffalo mozzarella, drizzled with olive oil served with a pile of fresh sea salt. Verdict: Delicious! If it had been served with fresh tomatoes, I could have made my entire meal on that alone!
Eataly to me is one of the coolest places I've ever been. It could have been that I was extremely hungry or just really cold but when I entered I was just very happy. Since then I've been recommending it to anyone I talk to! So please, if you are in the NYC area anytime soon, be sure to stop by, it's sure to be an experience you won't soon forget!
After waiting about 45 minutes for a table at the restaurant section (the wait was made better by all of the amazing sights and smells contained in this building) we received a primo seat right in front of the kitchen where we got to witness the magic happen. Our appetizer was a slab of fresh buffalo mozzarella, drizzled with olive oil served with a pile of fresh sea salt. Verdict: Delicious! If it had been served with fresh tomatoes, I could have made my entire meal on that alone!
As my main meal I decided on a Calzone filled with ricotta, mozzarella, prosciutto and fresh tomatoes. My mom decided on the Pizza Margerita and my dad had a fresh pasta with a wild boar ragu. Verdict on all the dishes: Unbelievable! I could have eaten my calzone every day for the rest of my life and been entirely content (if not entirely fat!) The crust on the pizza and calzone had to have been made fresh that day and coal fired in a blazing oven. And everything put togethter made the meal absolutely delicious!
Produce Department
Bakery
I don't even like Fish but I thought this was cool : )
Just a portion of all the pasta they had.
Fresh Seafood: I don't even think I can name some of the things in this picture!
I just thought this was a really cute sign : )
Thanks Mario for a great experience and a meal I won't soon forget!
Eataly NYC
200 5th Avenue
NY, NY 10010
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
I've been a very bad blogger...
With everything going on in the last month (Thanksgiving, Christmas shopping, Christmas wrapping, Christmas crafting: Are you beginning to see a pattern here?) I haven't updated the blog in more than a month. Yes I know that my plan was to do a scary thing per week, however it has gotten lost in the Christmas craziness. There have been a few new things that have happened in the last month, but not nearly as many as I had hoped.
1. On an amazing weekend trip to NYC (I hope to have pics up this week and a review of the yummiest place in the City: Eataly) I tried anchovies. Overall, I wouldn't recommend them. Same issues I had with the Sushi: too salty and just too fishy. (I have quite a knack for pointing out the obvious...)
2. I finished "The Importance of Being Earnest" and quite liked it. I'd love to see it live but haven't heard of any productions around. Although, much to the chagrin of Jen, I've yet to start "A Thousand Splendid Suns". Maybe in the New Year...
3. I've applied to about a million jobs and interviewed once. However, since I was actually comfortable enough to make a joke in the interview (quite an accomplishment for someone who is usually shaking in her boots at interviews) we are marking this as a win!
So that about sums up the list. Like I said nothing to write home about or in this case, nothing to write a blog about : ) However the list of things I have been able to accomplish in the last month is pretty long. Mostly boring things, but I enjoyed them nonetheless. (Except wrapping presents, I HATE wrapping presents!)
What I have found is that doing scary things every week, is not as easy as it sounds. For one thing, scary things that I want to do are EXPENSIVE. Not a good thing when you haven't won the lottery. Second, my friends haven't exactly jumped on the "Scary Thing" bandwagon. Not so fun when you're doing it by yourself. So while I'm still hoping to make this blog about doing new and adventurous things, I hope to add some more boring parts of my life into it in the coming year. After Christmas, I hope to jump back on the fun train and discover more new and exciting things to try!
1. On an amazing weekend trip to NYC (I hope to have pics up this week and a review of the yummiest place in the City: Eataly) I tried anchovies. Overall, I wouldn't recommend them. Same issues I had with the Sushi: too salty and just too fishy. (I have quite a knack for pointing out the obvious...)
2. I finished "The Importance of Being Earnest" and quite liked it. I'd love to see it live but haven't heard of any productions around. Although, much to the chagrin of Jen, I've yet to start "A Thousand Splendid Suns". Maybe in the New Year...
3. I've applied to about a million jobs and interviewed once. However, since I was actually comfortable enough to make a joke in the interview (quite an accomplishment for someone who is usually shaking in her boots at interviews) we are marking this as a win!
So that about sums up the list. Like I said nothing to write home about or in this case, nothing to write a blog about : ) However the list of things I have been able to accomplish in the last month is pretty long. Mostly boring things, but I enjoyed them nonetheless. (Except wrapping presents, I HATE wrapping presents!)
What I have found is that doing scary things every week, is not as easy as it sounds. For one thing, scary things that I want to do are EXPENSIVE. Not a good thing when you haven't won the lottery. Second, my friends haven't exactly jumped on the "Scary Thing" bandwagon. Not so fun when you're doing it by yourself. So while I'm still hoping to make this blog about doing new and adventurous things, I hope to add some more boring parts of my life into it in the coming year. After Christmas, I hope to jump back on the fun train and discover more new and exciting things to try!
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