Indulge Me

Yay. My earring and ring have been found! I'm so happy. Found in my purse and at work, respectively.

Okay, so today has been the second time this has happened to me in the past month and I just wonder. I'm at the market and I see this fairly cute guy there, we make eye contact then look away. Make eye contact later again and is there a little eye flirting going on? I don't know, maybe. See him again and we have to squeeze by each other to get through narrow aisles. I wonder what he's thinking. Does he think I'm cute? Are strands of hair all over my face? I wish I would've put my lip gloss on. Would he even attempt to try to get my number at the grocery store? Probably not. If he would have asked, I would have given him my number.

And, about a month ago at a different grocery store, this guy asked me if I knew where the non-dairy condensed milk was. I proceeded to tell him that it should be here with the rest of the condensed milk (which is wasn't) or possibly checking out the soy section. He was cute and nice. We had a small conversation and it ended there.

There are articles and YouTube videos giving tutorials on how to pick up women at the grocery store. I mean, even Carmen Electra said she likes meeting men at the grocery store. Is this strange? Maybe. But why do I feel like it's better/safer meeting a guy at the grocery store rather than some bar at 1 in the morning. Could be the fact that I find it a bit attractive that some guy is making the effort to go shopping and cook his own meal. Unfortunately, for all I know, he could have been on his way making a dinner and non-dairy dessert for his girlfriend.

Although everyone says not to judge a book by its cover (although I know you do!) can a shopping basket tell all about a person? Are personalities associated with types of food? Would you consider certain types of food to make that person boring? I guess if a guy had 5 bottles of gin in his basket, that would be an indicator that he might not be date material.

Let's hope 3rd time is a charm for me.

Humor Me

Random Tidbits:

- I had this dream the other night that this guy and his 2 dogs were chasing me and a friend (there was some serious running involved because I woke up with heart palpitations!). In the end it was all a joke my boyfriend played on me...who happened to be Michael Vartan; then I woke up. It's a sign.

- LOST EARRING-
*If found, please return to original owner. Email here please.*
Thanks to NYC and it's almost-hurricane level winds last night.

- Another thanks to my awful memory. Today I left on my fave ring in the bathroom at work and who knows if I'll find it again. Maybe Michael Vartan will return it to me, then I'll know for sure it was meant to be.

- Tomorrow (Saturday, March 22) is International Pillow Fight Day. No joke. I'll see you in Union Square! Some cities aren't participating due to inclement weather so check the schedule. Are you supposed to bring your own pillow? I like my hypoallergenic pillow. What if people use "hard" pillows, I don't want a black eye.

- Do you ever look at something online and repeatedly place it in your shopping cart, hoping to buy it for yourself after you've made up reasonable excuses? Well, I just checked my shopping cart the other day and the yellow purse I've been saving since December is out of stock and I'm so upset now! Ugh! It wasn't even that expensive AND on sale...why did I wait? (sigh).
This $795 Gustto bag is gorgeous...but it's not the same.
It wasn't waiting to be bought for 3 months.

- People magazine paid J.Lo (or she likes to be called Jennifer Lopez now) $6 million for the coveted photos of her new twins. I sincerely hope she's donating that money to a charity and not buying more custom-made Dolce & Gabbana fur wraps for Max and Emme. I couldn't find a picture. They're custom-made.

- Okay, I think that's it.

- Have an enlightening and exciting Easter weekend.

Eat

Hope you had a fun, Guinness-drinking St. Patrick's Day yesterday. All that green got me thinking about food, of course. More along the lines of healthy food and what we should be eating. I actually enjoy eating healthy but I think I have a problem with portion control. All the articles say eat a handful of nuts, it's good for you, but somehow one thing leads to another and a handful becomes half a canister. In my head I'm telling myself, "It's healthy..."

Recently I read this article about foods you should be eating everyday. Let's have a lesson.

1. Spinach

2. Yogurt

3. Tomatoes4. Carrots
5. Blueberries

6. Black beans
7. Walnuts
8. Oats
So honestly, how many of these do you have in your refrigerator? I have 5 of the 8 most of the time. If blueberries and tomatoes weren't so friggin expensive, I would have those on hand. I would have to say I don't eat black beans on a regular basis...I don't' like to get gassy.

I love throwing in "add-on's" to my meals. Plain or vanilla yogurt with a handful of my fiber cereal with some raisins and a banana with a sprinkle of cinnamon (which I hear is good for you). Microwave plain oatmeal with raisins (so they're warm and soft), a spoonful of strawberry preserves and flax seed, which adds a nutty flavor along with omega-3.


This nice photo and meal? Done by yours truly. A great meal to eat during the cold winter. My version of this turkey chili happened to be very cost efficient. The receipt came to about $20. I made 2 batches over a 3 week span which fed me about 10 meals. Quite sick of it now but it was tasty at the time. Alter it and add your own ingredients; put it on a bun, add some yellow rice to the side, whatever you feel like. I improvised some ingredients and portions because of availability or price. I added frozen peppers instead of only red or yellow. I didn't have the chili spices so I used a taco seasoning packet.

m's version of turkey chili
1. Brown 1/2 chopped onion with similar portion of red/yellow/green peppers (whatever you can find).
2. Add 1 lb. of lean ground turkey until almost brown. Add taco seasoning packet and spoonful of minced garlic.
3. Add 2 cans of diced tomatoes and 1-2 small cans of tomato sauce. (Depending on if you like it chunky.)
4. Add 2 cans of beans. (Here's your opportunity to use black beans! I used red and white kidney beans, I think the norm is pinto.)
5. I also added a can of corn.
6. Simmer for 45 minutes to 1 hour.
7. I also threw in some hot sauce, splenda and more random spices like paprika, Italian spices and black pepper.

Yum.

Listen

Lately I've been into this melancholy, dark music. You know, perfect for those rainy days while you're sitting with your cup of coffee in your hand looking out the window? Okay, maybe that's just me. haha. Anyway, after some digging I came across these two artists that I have been listening to non-stop. Coincidentally enough, they're playing together on the Hotel Cafe Tour with a whole bunch of other names and I'm extremely sad that the NY show is sold out.

ARTIST SPOTLIGHT: Meiko

I love her song Hawaii. Seriously, I can't stop listening to it. It's a slow, dark piece with lyrics that makes me forget reality. This song and Reasons To Love You were actually featured on the Grey's Anatomy soundtrack for season 4, the two which happen to be my faves. She has a deep, raspy voice; a mix of Chantal Kreviazuk and Jem. Reasons To Love You is more upbeat and cute. Here's her MySpace page.

ARTIST SPOTLIGHT: William Fitzsimmons

Don't be fooled by his crazy facial hair. His voice is really...manly. Deep, raspy but complimented with his guitar work. A combination of Joshua Radin and Mac Powell and maybe the guy from Creed? It's good. His music has been featured on a few movies and more recently Grey's Anatomy as well. Passion Play and Shattered are good songs. His MySpace.

If you like that chill indie music, check out the Hotel Cafe Tour artist lineup. They have similar styles but all of them are really great (some of my faves): Kate Havnevik, Cary Brothers, Joshua Radin, Priscilla Ahn, Ingrid Michaelson...Ok, I have to stop. I'm getting depressed typing their names.

Buy

This is mostly for the ladies but after being a long time beauty and toiletries enthusiast, I think I have found the perfect mascara after years of countless experimentation.

Yes, Max Factor 2000 Calorie mascara. The most important thing, it doesn't smudge or flake under your eyes! Unfortunately, I wasn't blessed with thick, long lashes like some of my friends. I have thin, straight lashes which are very sparse. I cry when I lose an eyelash and have to make a wish. (Okay, not that dramatic but it's sad moment). MF lasts all day and looks natural but with added coats you can create a more dramatic look. I'm a witness to this tried and true product for the past 3 months and I'll never go back! 3 months (expiration for mascara)...time to get a new one...hmmm, I might try the straight brush. Goes to show that you can't be a brand snob.

As for the guys, there is guy makeup out there, it just hasn't caught on like it has in Asia. Here's an article stating opinions on whether guy makeup is acceptable and their reasoning.

Decorate

I don't know how your room looks but if you have cute pictures and furniture then I'm already jealous. Mine is completely bare. I guess a white canvas looks clean but it's boring. I love maps as posters. I know it's a little juvenile, but it reminds me of where I am and a world map makes me realize how much more I have to see.

DIY: I was looking through this magazine and thought this was super cute. I'm not sure if you're a wine drinker but if you buy bottles in a box, keep the box and remove the front so it looks like you have a tray. Use this and hang it up on the wall or place it on your desk as a shelf. I wish I had an after picture. Do you get it though? As for hanging the box itself on the wall, you'll have to ask that cute guy who's your friend's friend...or just ask your boyfriend/husband. Can guys do that stuff these days? I know they could fix your computer or blackberry in 20 minutes but housework? I don't know. haha

YAY! I found an 'after' picture. It's really done up but a non-decorated wine crate is nice too, gives an old world feel. Thanks to HGTV for the photo of the shelves. This picture from Curbly gives a more detailed account on how to decorate the crates.

Eat & Drink

So good friends came up from D.C. this past weekend and I had a really good time. This was the first time I actually felt like a New York resident. Okay, so let's get down to it, where'd we eat...haha.

Although we didn't hit all the places I wanted, we ate some good grub. Had a horribly long wait at Lombardi's (30 min to be seated and another 30 for the pizza), satisfied our hunger with Pinkberry in the meantime, but overall worth the wait. Did I get a picture of our pizza? Nope. Since we were starving and inhaled our pizza. It was gone by the time I remembered to take a picture. I heard their clam pie was good but we had Italian sausage and spinach which was yum. The tomato sauce was light, real mozzarella, thin crispy crust, a bite of goodness.

Caffe Reggio, home of the original cappuccino, was an old world delight. A bit tight as 3 of us waited to be seated in the nearly packed house. Dim lighting, enormous paintings, I felt like I was in the Medici home in Firenze. The cappuccino with whipped cream was the perfect answer to Saturday night's cold and windy night. The tiramisu and Viennese cannoli complemented very well.

Saturday night it was off to Perch Cafe in Brooklyn where we saw K's friend's band, Barnyard Brothers, which was fun. Bluesy, folksy music including a banjo!

Sunday included a brunch stop to Ess-a-Bagel, thank goodness for K's blackberry because I couldn't find it. Egg and cheese bagel sandwich, cinnamon bagel with chocolate chip cream cheese and lox spread on everything bagel was goooood. After stopping by Grand Central Station, Times Square, and Herald Square, a red velvet cupcake from Buttercup Bake Shop hit the spot as we walked back, which we apparently finished in 10.8 seconds.