To do's

I love lists.

So not only did i have a list of Goals but i had a House To Do List.

As you can see i only got a few of these things done in the last year, but it's a work in progress.

Basement

• Wall unit
• Lighting
• Comfy sofa
• Sell futon and love seat
• Artwork
• Tile floor (round door)
• Clean coat closet
• Organize laundry

Garage

• Power wash floor
• Sell fridge

Stairwell 1

• Lighting
• Artwork
• Banister

Kitchen

• Organize
• Paint
• New Appliances
• New Countertops
• Cabinets
• Floor
• Hardware

½ Bath

• Paint
• Mirror
• Lighting
• Floor
• Décor

Living Room

• Table lamps
• Décor for corner unit
• Painting for back wall

Dinning Room

• Organize

Stairwell 2

• Lighting
• Artwork
• Banister

Master Bath

• Fix shelves
• Fix outlet
• Re caulk

Master Bedroom

• Light kit
• Table or floor lamp
• Wall switch
• Lock on door
• Remove curtain rods

Guest Bedroom

• Organize

It's good to have goals

At the beginning of 2009 i wrote myself a new list of goals. It had goals for this year, 5 years, and 10 years.

The only goal for this year was: Get a new, better paying, job I love.

And i did. Go me!

My new job is the best thing that happened to me in 2009. i started looking in Feb and by July i had it.

I have a great boss, a great cube mate, i love what i do, and my commute is only 6 miles.

2009 a Crappy year in review

Of course there is a lot of stuff missing, good and bad. But these are the bad highlights. I am hoping that 2010 will be MUCH better.

• I have cancelled my New Years Eve party due to underwhelming RSVP’s
• My Christmas party was cancelled due to snow (although fun the impromptu dinner did not make up for it)
• Thanksgiving was ruined by my painful wrist
• My close friends had a baby who was born with severe problems like congenital myotonic muscular dystrophy, clubbed feet, and cysts on his brain which caused him to have a stroke in utero.
• a long time family friend died after a VERY long battle with Cancer
• My grandmother Niva was admitted to the hospital, was transferred to hospice, and died from dementia
• My other grandmother had stints put in her heart
• My grandfather had a quadruple bypass
• My step-grandfather was sent back to Chile, and then came back because his son stole his money.
• My best friends grandmother died
• I got in a car accident, and now my heater does not work and it’s freezing out.
• My cousin’s son was forced to visit the dad he hates in a place he hates, several times this year, because the law sucks.
• My January NYC trip was cancelled due to the fact that I had the plague and could not stop throwing up.

The Blizzard of 2009

The bushes in the first picture of my last post are now entirely under snow.

When we woke up on Sunday the plan for the day was to cook the turkey. My friend walked through the snow to bring me the citrus, herbs, and butter I needed to cook the bird with.

Meanwhile Russ shoveled snow with the neighbors outside. That was when I got the idea to invite the neighbors to dinner. So I walked around and explained that I had a 21lb turkey and that it needed to be cooked. And would they please all come for dinner. One neighbor agreed. Please note I have never met any of these people before.

My friend and I spent the next 4 hours cooking turkey and watching Pride and Prejudice.

Eventually she had to walk home to her family and Russ and I made potato latkes and scotch and mushroom risotto. I also whipped up some garlic green beans.

Our neighbor John came over with some beer and then we got an older couple who is new to the neighborhood. They bought wine, sweet potato casserole, and cookies. And then came Skender, our neighbor from across the street. He’s a little awkward but he was fun and the best part is his name spelled backwards is REDNEKS! Too hilarious.

My friend who helped me cook the turkey came back with her husband and daughter, they pushed their way though the slush with the stroller. They brought like 8 different cheeses. The Domestic Empress came with her lobster quiche, baked brie with mushrooms, and Plaza White Sauce which she had her brother pick up in Newport News on his way home for the holidays. And MoBot braved the snow in her mothers Jeep to bring me green beans and hang out with us.

Now I’m not usually a complete klutz but during the course of the dinner I made the spoon fly out of the green beans and onto the floor and then tried to help The Domestic Empress and made the mistake of going out onto the driveway in converse high tops. Needless to say I slipped and fell on the ice. It was straight out of a cartoon. My neighbors must think I’m crazy.

But all in all it was a good night. We met out neighbors, and had a great time.

I still have not braved the snow in the convertible. Perhaps tomorrow. My parents were kind enough to come pick Russ and I up and drop us off at work and at the buss stop. Our streets are still so bad the usual bus that Russ takes won’t come near the house yet.

Thank god this is a one day work week.

BTW yesterday was also the Winter Solstice so Merry Belated Yule to everyone!

it's my party, and i'll cry if i want to!

Every year for the past 6 years i have thrown a Christmas dinner for my friends from high school.

The 7th annual dinner was scheduled for tonight and now it looks looks like this outside...

We have had over 12 inches of snow fall since 9pm last night with no end in sight. actually you can hardly see this bush anymore and this picture was only taken a few hours ago.

I took yesterday off from work just to get ready. I bought beer, wine, liquor, food, and i decorated 3 tables for everyone to sit at. they look like this...

i was so excited.

since everything has been called off now i'm doing what i always do when i feel like crap, eating cheese. Brie and fig preserves to be exact.

Russ is cooking. he is making pasta with chicken and vegetables in port wine.

I still have a 21lb turkey sitting in my fridge that needs to be cooked soon before it goes bad. i think thats the plan for tomorrow, but my friend with all the stuff to make the turkey is stranded about a mile away. i might have to trek to her house tomorrow to get all the stuff.

stay tuned...

6WD

A few years ago I did the Six Word Diet (6WD) and it worked great.

The 6 words?

Eat 100 Calories Every 90 Minutes

For me it was great, I could eat whatever I wanted as long as I ate a very small portion.

I lost over 10 lbs in a week which is ridiculous. Now it’s not really healthy to loose that much in a week but I have a very slow metabolism and this diet jump starts it hence the almost immediate loss of weight.

There are many ways to modify the diet and if you want to read more about it you can download the book at http://sixworddiet.com/

The last time I did this diet I modified it two ways. I could eat whatever I wanted on the weekend (Friday night to Sunday night) and to make it a bit more convenient I ate 175 calories every 2 hours.

If you are an exerciser or a muscular person you can eat up to 100 calories every hour but the weight loss will not be as rapid.

I like to use the trick from the lady’s at cook yourself thin take the weight you want to be and multiply by 10 and that’s the number of calories you should eat everyday. I would like to weigh 140lb’s so I need to eat 1400 calories everyday. During my day I have to eat 8 small meals if I am eating every two hours so if I divided 1400 by 8 = 175 calories per meal.

I have decided to start again after the holidays. And this time I don’t think I’m going to take weekends off although it depends on how fast I am loosing weight.

The hardest part was coming up with different meals so that I did not get bored, packing everything for work (5 of my meals will be eaten at work), and not eating myself stupid when I get home at night.

So until January I’m going to work on figuring out meals with approximately 175 calories in them. Using foods that can be packed the night before, and coming up with something to distract me from eating too much at home.

Some of my favorite foods that you can eat a lot of on this diet are: asparagus (26 sticks!), popcorn, sweet potato, mushrooms, and shrimp. So it’s really not that bad. There are no restrictions on what I can have so if I want a donut, or mac and cheese, or spaghetti that’s fine. It’s all about portion control and making your body think that it’s feasting not fasting.

If anyone decides to do this with me let me know because I could always use someone to bounce meal ideas off of. Happy shrinking!

* NOTE: I am NOT being compensated to talk about the Six Word Diet.

I could use a hobby

I used to have all kinds of things that I did to keep busy. I could spend an entire day in my room alone and feel fulfilled.

I used to be in theater and in chorus. I tried sports like horse back riding, ice skating, tae kwon do, fencing, gymnastics, ballet, and a million others, I traveled, and groups.I Read, watched TV, went to the movies, colored, crafted, sewed, did community service and volunteer work, babysat and did a million other things.

Then came a period in my life when all I did was work and go to school. I had 4 jobs and went to school full time. I loved working at Curves and talking to all my customers everyday, I loved working at a catering company planning weddings for people and eating great food, I loved working at the renaissance festival 3 months out of the year, I loved taking tickets at all the awesome concerts in town, and although I never loved school work I loved learning and was proud to get a degree.

6 days after my last final I was offered a job, and 12 day before my technical graduation date (I did not go) I started working. And I never looked back.

I love planning meetings and I love going to new town and hotels and meeting new people. And for the most part my hours are steady and I could have time for other things but then I get home and I’m tired, I have to cook dinner, I watch a few shows and it’s time to go to sleep.

Two nights a week Russ goes to band practice, and for the most part I find stuff to do with myself, I clean, or go see a friend, or go see my mom, or run errands but last night I had nothing. I was too tired to do the dishes that needed doing but I wanted to leave the house or actually do something. Instead I showered and sat in bed watching Netflix videos on my computer. The movie was cute and entertaining but I wish that I had had some other project to work on. A hobby like Russ’s band practice that would require me to leave the house several nights a week. But I don’t.

I wanted to join a choir, but they all have expensive dues, ugly outfits, and make you pay per sheet of music. I wanted to take a floral design class but again it’s very expensive. I wanted to find a dance class but have not really found a place where I am interested in going or a class that I am particularly interested in. so what now?

I really don’t like sitting at home two nights a week rotting my brain with television and wasting precious time.

Any ideas?

New Banner

Thank you to Lauren of LFB Photography and Design for the new Festive Banner. With her help i plan to have a new banner for every season.

Check out her awesome Etsy shop at http://www.etsy.com/shop/lfbphotography

I'm not taking them off unless i want to!

i saw this picture on http://www.passiveaggressivenotes.com/ today.

I personally think that it is rude for people to force guests to take off their shoes when you invite them to your house.

what if they have smelly feet, holes in their socks, or ugly feet and feel self conscious about them? you don't want to make your guests feel uncomfortable. if they want to take them off thats one thing, but don't give them an ultimatum.

As far as i can tell the person who made this sign is an Asshat.

that is all.

I can’t believe that just happened!

So today kinda sucked. It started out fine. I got up went to the orthopedics office and was told that my appointment was for tomorrow. So I got an appointment at an office across the street for 3:45 today and cancelled the appointment for tomorrow.

So I got to work late, my hand was hurting, and there was not much I could do.

At 3:00 I left work, got my X-rays from the hospital, and went to the ortho’s office.

He came in, took one look at my x-ray, said it was a tendon problem and decided what I needed was a Cortisone shot, no problem, I’m good with needles.

He jabs a 2 inch needle that is really thick into my wrist in several directions and all the way in. no problem. It oozed white from the numbing medication he had added to the needle. Again no problem.

I grabbed my stuff walked into the hall and promptly passed out on the floor; thank god the doctor caught me before my head hit the floor. My color came back, I drank water, and left.

WTF? I have no idea what happened.

saturday snow

Today it snowed in Northern Virginia. I woke up and the trees were beautiful and the day was still and magical.

We had no food in the house and plans to go to Costco. My parents picked us up and we went to Dunkin Donuts in 4 inches of snow and slush. We got coffee and donuts and went to the high school around the corner to wait for my brother to get out of the SAT’s. There was no snow on the ground when he left for the exam at 7am and we were worried he would not know how to drive home in the snow. So we sat in the car and ate donuts and talked for over 2 hours. My dad would periodically get out of the car and clean my brothers car and help all the other kids leaving clean there cars too (he’s kind of awesome that way).

We finally made it to Costco which had the shortest lines ever which was nice. I spent more money there than I should have and we went home.

I only got one load of laundry done today and my plan was to do about 4. I sat in front of the TV and caught up with all the shows I missed while in Chicago. I also bought UP and Star Trek so there will be some movie watching in the near future although Russ has this weird thing where he does not like to watch movies he has already seen, so I wonder why I bother buying movies when he won’t watch them with me.

Anyway that is all I have for today. I go to get my arm looked at on Monday morning so hopefully it will be good news. I can function much better now but I still can’t lift or pull anything and forget opening jars, it hurts.

I made a mistake

At the biggest solo conference of my working year I made a mistake. Actually I made several small ones and a big one.

And although I fixed it, it did not go unnoticed.

I’m upset with myself. My boss even told me that I was doing a good job and not to dwell but that she knew I would. She is a good boss. After my mistake we went shopping and to dinner, she quickly learned that shopping with me can mean dropping $100 in 30 minutes and we went to dinner and got back past my bed time and all was well.

And now that I have been through this once I know that next year things will be different.

But next year is far away and right now I feel like an idiot.

Movie Etiquette

The night before thanksgiving I went to the movies to see Boondock Saints II, and although the movie was not as good as the first it was certainly entertaining.

I was part of a group of 5 and by the time we got to the movie the theater was packed. There were plenty of open seats but none together.

So people when going to a movie I totally understand not wanting to sit next to a stranger and leaving an empty space is ok when the movie is not packed but when it is full you should fill in so that there are empty seats on the ends.

The reverse is that when going to a movie that is not full, try not to block anyone’s view by sitting directly in front of them, especially if you are tall.

Am i the only one who feels this way?

Yum!

Last night I hopped on a city bus and went downtown to shop on Michigan Ave.

I bought some cute socks at Gap and went to Nordstrom’s. They did not have the shoes I liked in my size and I needed to eat because all the meds for my hand were making my stomach hurt. So I figured pasta was a good choice.

Two people suggested Buca Di Beppo, a family style restaurant. The place was packed but they found me a table. The portions are huge and being only one person they allowed me to order off the lunch menu. I had the Linguini Frutti Di Mare. It was divine. Mussels, squid, and shrimp in a spicy red clam sauce, I even polished off an entire thing of bread on my own. The service was really good and the place a little tacky but lively.

Tonight it’s Italian again. I’m going to The Italian Village with co-workers. Hopefully it will be just as good. For now though I could really use coffee and a bagel.

Injured Thanksgiving

While everyone else was spending thanksgiving morning cooking and baking I was in the ER.

On Monday my hand started hurting, and everyday it got worse. The ER doc says it’s either a nerve or a split ligament. I also have a bone chip from what he says is an old injury. I’m thinking drunken cartwheels on a balance beam a few months ago was a bad idea.

The pain reached an all time high around 6:00pm thanksgiving night right before the family sat down to dinner. I sat on the sofa and cried. My brother who has the emotional range of a tree sat next to me and rubbed my arm and let me lean on him. I am grateful for that. My plans of movie watching and shopping were shattered and the night ended all too soon. Maybe next year things will be different.

The ER doc wanted me to see a specialist tomorrow but I’m stuck in Chicago on business until Thursday night.

BTW one handed blogging is hard.

Blog Awards!

Two of my favorite blogging ladies Mrs. Misadventure and Empress Kate have nominated my blog for awards! Thank you so much.

The rules are as follows…

One lovely blog award

1. Accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person who's given it to you, along with the link to his or her blog.

2. Pass the award to seven other blogs you enjoy.

3. Contact those bloggers to let them know they've been chosen for this award.

Over the top award

1. Accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person who's given it to you, along with the link to his or her blog.

2. Answer the questions below and post them to your blog

3. Pass the award to seven other blogs you enjoy.

4. Contact those bloggers to let them know they've been chosen for this award.

1. Where is your cell phone: on the kitchen counter
2. Your hair: is a mess from the nap I just took

3. Your mother: is my favorite person on earth
4. Your father: is amazing
5. Your favorite food: Cheese and wine of course!
6. Your dream from last night: I don’t remember, I did not sleep very well.

7. Your favorite drink: wine and raspberry iced tea, not together of course!
8. Your dream/goal: own my own business one day

9. What room are you in: the family room, I’m watching Oprah on my Tifaux.

10. What is your hobby: I used to have many, but lately I have taken up napping instead.
11. What is your fear: home invasion and ventriloquist dummies
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years: married with children?

13. Where were you last night: I went to see the Blind Side with my mother, it was an awesome movie and I needed the girls night out.

14. Something you are not: shy
15. Muffins: Are crap, eat a croissant instead.
16. Wish List items.: um…
17. Where did you grow up: Northern Virginia
18. Last thing you did: watched Russ make dinner
19. What are you wearing: jeans, my Gaelic Storm t-shirt and my red sweater.

20. Your TV: gives me something to do in the evenings.
21. Your pets: Angel lives with my parents, I am currently petless

22. Your friends: are awesome.
23. Your life: is good at the moment
24. Your mood: sleepy
25. Missing someone: yes.
26. Vehicle: a gold seabring convertible, apparently it’s a yuppie car. I don’t think so.
27. Something you’re not wearing: socks or shoes

28. Your favorite store: White House Black Market
29. Your favorite color: Green
30. When’s the last time you laughed: yesterday, today was too stressful.

31. When’s the last time you cried: last week I think

32. Your best friend: all 3 are amazing women
33. One place you go over and over: The American Café for the spinach con queso and the potato cheese soup.
34. One person who emails me regularly: my cousin with stupid forwarded e-mails half of which are untrue and I have to send her the snopes.com link to prove it.

35. Favorite place to eat? Too many to name.

and the Awardees are...

Empress Kate for One Lovely Blog

Mrs.Misadventure for Over the Top Blog

Little Sarita for One Lovely Blog & Over the Top Blog

LizinDC for One Lovely Blog

MoBot for One Lovely Blog & Over the Top Blog

Devorah for One Lovely Blog & Over the Top Blog

LFB Photography for One Lovely Blog

I shaved my legs for this???

Yesterday was Russ’s birthday.

At work all day I was having “an ugly day” I left work and went home and shaved, put on my little black dress, make up, and my favorite necklace and we went to dinner at a French restaurant in town.

I did not get a “you look nice” all night.

Next time I’m wearing jeans and we are going to McDonalds.

Going to the Cabin

It’s only Thursday and I have worked late 2 days this week, cried, had a fight, been confrontational at work, and tossed and turned for hours in bed.

I also have not had time all week to watch my usual shows and I am very backed up coming into the biggest TV watching night of the week.

So last night I did what I do best, I went home and ate cheese, tonight I will do the same and there will be wine involved. It’s amazing how the smallest things make such a big difference.

I have been gearing up all week so that I could take Friday off. I will spend all day tomorrow packing and shopping for a camping trip with some of the people I love best in this world. It should be fun, although most likely wet and I can guarantee you there will be brie and fig preserve involved. There will also be alcohol of all kinds and for better or worse probably guns, arrows, ATV’s, and a canoe. This could be bad, but I’m stoked, and so is the rest of the group.

Please keep your fingers crossed for a dry weekend.

crazy?

As a huge fan of Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre I have recently started reading Villette.

Last night I was reading out loud to myself in a British accent (something I usually do when reading a period novel) when Russ walked into the room. he thought I had lost my mind.

Is this weird?

home at last

I’m back! My conference went well, and as always I love chicago. I relly can’t wait to be back in the windy city in less than a month. Although the next time I’m there I will be a lot bussier and not in the best part of town and it will be a hell of a lot colder.

What did I miss while I was gone? A lot, some of which I can’t talk about here.

The saddest news is that my Best Friend’s friend died. I met her not too long ago and my friend had said that she wanted me to meet her because we were so much alike. I have been reading all the heartfelt reponses that people have left one her facebook page and found a comment that really weirded me out. It was a girl who had the same name as one of my friends and she called her “thing 1” thats my faire nick name in the kilt shop! I even have the pewter pin to prove it. How much alike we really were I will never know.

I really feel for her 6 year old son and all her friends and family who are greiving, she was very loved and will be missed.

Give Blood

Today at 1pm i will be giving blood at work.

I encourage the rest of you to do the same sometime soon.

that is all.

UPDATE: they turned me away because my hemoglobin was 12.4 not 12.5. thats crap!

In over my head

OMG i have so much work that i'm having to delegate it to my boss and co-workers. on Thursday i am leaving for Chicago on a business trip and need to have everything done for two simultaneous conferences both in Chicago, and i am the lead planner for both meetings.

At least by Sunday night two of my meetings will be over and i can focus on my huge conference when i get back. The Saturday after thanksgiving i will be going back to Chicago to run 40+ meetings over the course of six days.

i know i have been remiss in my posting. to tell the truth i have written several posts and deleted all of them. i have a lot to say, some of which is not mine to tell and the rest of which i don't think is interesting enough for anyone to care.

Ok i worked a 10 hour day and need to go to bed and do it all again in the morning. wish me luck this week. i'm going to need it.

that was rude.

Today I went to La Madeline for lunch. It was very crowded and I found a 2 person table that still had dishes on it, to sit at. In front of me were 3 men at a table for 6 but they were having a business meeting and their things were spread out. Because there was a lack of tables an older lady (70’s or so) put her tray down at the table invited her friend over (also in her 70’s) and proceeded to eat their lunch. They did this without asking. You could tell the men were very confused as to what to do with the women. I quickly finished most of my lunch stacked my dishes and told the ladies that I was leaving and that they could have my table.

Etiquette lesson #1:Barging into someone’s business meeting is never acceptable, no matter how old you are. Ask before sitting down at a table with others at it. It’s common courtesy people!

Shop and Save

I was reading Liz in DC’s blog this morning and was intrigued by the “don’t go over in October” challenge she found over at Ms. Career Girl’s blog.

After I commented with “I have a shopping problem BUT I NEVER spend more than I can afford, so is it really a problem?”

I realized that no, it’s not a problem, because I make smart shopping choices.

I should explain myself. As much as I love to shop, I am good with money and I love to see my savings grow, so I live by a few simple rules:

• NEVER buy anything you cannot afford. This includes eating out, buying fancy groceries, going to the movies, buying cars, and spending money in general.
• ALWAYS pay credit cards and all bills ON TIME, IN FULL
• Whenever I have $1000 in checking that I know is surplus and not necessary to the months bills I move it into savings.
• I almost always use a credit card. It is very easy for me to spend cash and then I have no idea what I did with it. Get a credit card that not only rewards you for using it but sends you a summary at the end of the year of all expenses.
• I happen to have the Amazon Visa card and I LOVE IT!
• The end of the year summary tells you how much you spent in gas, food, clothing, home repair, entertainment and lots more over the course of the entire year and helps with budgeting purposes.

My last bit of advice is if you have no other debt and you have the resources, invest in a home. Real estate will always make you money if you buy wisely, wait out economic down turns, and only make those repairs which will increase the value of your home.

I have now lived through almost an entire year of mortgage payments and although I thought the bills would kill me and I would never be able to do anything ever again I am here to tell you that when it came to money my lifestyle did not change when I bought a home.

I love Project Runway

When the 2^nd season of Project Runway premiered a group of my girl friends and I decided that every Thursday night at 10 pm we would get together to watch..

For years Thursday night during the PR season meant wine, cheese, girls and lots of PR drama.

This season started off much the same. I was so excited because a few of my friends had moved closer to me and would be able to make it. We had five girls, lots of cheese, several bottles of wine and what I considered a very successful evening.

Well since that night most of the group has bailed, some because of school, others because of work, and some just because.

Last week I hardly saw Russ let alone had free time, but I still made time for Project Runway. I was tired, I had just come back from visiting a friend in the hospital and I only saw PW with one other girl but it was a lovely time. This time with no wine due to the fact that my friend was on medication, but we had a ton of cheese, fruit, and fig preserve. Yum!

Project Runway Night for me is not just about the show. It’s a time to relax with the girls, unwind with a glass of wine, and eat some great cheese. But it seems like the tradition of making it into more of an event than a show may be dying. People have other things to do and other people to see. I’ll be fine watching alone, but it will never be the same.

No Halloween for me.

Have you ever been really sad about something that everyone else says is no big deal?

My favorite holiday of all time is Halloween. I love the parties, the dressing up, the decorations, and best of all time with friends.

October 31^st also happens to be Samhain, the pagan new year, the most important holiday on my religious calendar.

Well this year I will have to spend it alone in a hotel in Chicago, a city where I know no one.

This has had me upset ever since I was told that I might have to help out with this conference and now that it has been confirmed I get teary eyed almost once a day. The worst part is that this conference is at the same time every year and as the most junior member of my department I am the most likely person to send, every year.

Last year I spent Halloween with Russ sitting in our empty new house that we had purchased only a few hours before, we only got a hand full of trick-or-treaters and I only put on my pirate coat. Had I known that that might have been my last Halloween at home for quite some time I would have done something more extravagant. Now everywhere I go I see Halloween decorations and think what’s the point of purchasing decorations if I won’t be home to enjoy them?

My friends and mother keep telling me that it’s no big deal. That maybe next year they will send someone else. But to me it’s a very big deal.

Oh Halloween, how I will miss you already.

Four words, Green Valley Book Fair

That is my plan for the weekend.

If you are like me and you LOVE to read then I highly recommend this as an awesome escape from the hustle and bustle of the D.C. area.

http://www.gvbookfair.com/

I leave you with some words of wisdom from Mr. Groucho and Mr. Twain…

Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read. ~Groucho Marx

I find television to be very educating. Every time somebody turns on the set, I go in the other room and read a book. ~Groucho Marx

The man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who can't read them. ~Mark Twain, attributed

Be the change you wish to see in the world.

I realized I have already asked my readers for money once this year and I would never do it again if it was not a cause close to my heart.

During my last semester at George Mason University, I had the opportunity to work on one of the most important projects I will ever encounter. It was a sustainability plan for a real town in Cambodia. This was the only project I ever worked on in school that actually made a difference in the world. Whether or not my group’s project was eventually chosen or not I did not care, we were all working to make the world a better place.

Since then I have kept an eye on the Blog of Kari Grady Grossman the one who started it all. You can read her blog or purchase her book (Bones that float) here http://www.karigradygrossman.com/wordpress/

Today on the blog Kari is asking for donations to help 11 of her students go to school for an entire year. Each student needs only $150. That’s only $1650.00 for all of them.

I plan to give, but what I’m thinking is that with a little bit of outreach we can give big.

What if we raise the full $1650? Or at least try. Should I stand outside of the grocery store? Have a bake sale? Just throw a party and ask for donations? What do you think?

Tell your friends and families, I know your readers know a lot of people, post on Facebook, blog or tweet about it. Let’s make the world a better place through education.

If you wish to send your donation through “network for good” just use the link above, but please post a comment telling us that you donated, and if you are comfortable in divulging how much you are donating, I would love to know. If you would prefer to send me your check or cash and I can send it all to Kari at once make checks out to Sustainable Schools International, and leave a comment with your e-mail, I will send you my address.

more food!

Continuing with this week’s food theme I would like to try the following restaurants, and I would like to try them with company.

So here is the deal. I realize that fine dining is expensive and not all of us can afford to go out all that often. So if you are interested in a group outing to one of the following places leave a comment with the name of the restaurant and a date, or two, that is good for you.

We can then settle on a date and invite more people to come along. I think this could be a lot of fun. And I really need to stop going to the same chain restaurants over and over again.

American

Clyde's Willow Creek Farm – Leesburg

Eventide - Arlington

Red Fox Inn – Middleburg

Inox –McLean

French

Mon Ami Gabi – Reston

2941 Restaurant – Falls Church

Bastille - Alexandria

Other

Texas de Brazil Churrascuria – Fairfax

Acadiana (Creole/Cajun) – DC

So who’s in?

Also feel free to suggest other restaurants.

Restaurant Week Continued

According to the following article D.C Restaurant Week Top Ten Picks

The following restaurant have extended their RW promotions…

Restaurant Week Promotion Extensions

2941 - August 3 through August 28
701 Restaurant - August 24 through Sept 6th
Art and Soul – August 24- September 6
Café Atlantico – August 24- September 6
Cedar Restaurant - August 1 through August 23
Co-co Sala - August 24- September 2
Darlington House - August 24th through September 6th
Dino - August 1 through September 13
Grillfish DC - August 24th through September 13th
Ici Urban Bistro - August 21 through September 1
Il Mulino - August 1 through August 31
Mio - August 1 through August 31
Nage Bistro - August 17th to September 6th
Occidental - August 24- September 6
Rasika - August 24- September 5
The Heights - August 24th through September 6th
Zaytinya - August 24- September 6


YAY!

D.C Restaurant Week

If you don’t already know, twice every year D.C has a Restaurant week. Many of the restaurants offer special menus for lunch and dinner. Lunch is always priced the same as the current year, so in 2009 the lunch menu is $20.09 and dinner is $35.09. Some restaurants create special tasting menus and others let you choose a few things from the regular menu. Either way it’s an awesome deal, and allows you to try restaurants that are otherwise not in your price range.

Tomorrow I have a lunch reservation at Passion Fish.

The Domestic Empress and I have really wanted to check this place out and what better way to try it than at $20.09 for three courses.

The menu is as follows…

Restaurant Week Menu

Lunch Menu

Dinner Menu

And then Russ and I are going to Vinifera for a date on Thursday, I might get dressed up and everything. Vinifera is located inside the Westin Reston and has a very nice selection of wines by the bottle or by the glass.

I think I’m going to go with the Paella, but incase you are interested here is the menu…

Vacation Pictures (because i promised)

forgive the order, this was actually taken on our last night in Florida. we were at my Grandparents house and i was so burnt i was wearing russ's shirt and no bra.

the what the inside of our room at the Merlin Guesthouse. the pool was right outside our door and it was not at all as loud as the reviews said it would be. the sitting area was nice for watching TV.

up a few stairs was our bed. it was very cozy, and to the right was our bathroom.

This was the view from the bed. it was rustic and tranquil.

OMG can you believe the water? this is what beach water should look like.

and this is a real beach. our boat is anchored at the end of the sand bar. we swam to shore but had to walk back because the tide went out. the keg was on the boat so all you had to do was swim up to it and pour yourself a drink.

more beach...

you see the girl in the water with the hat on? thats me getting a sunburn and loving every minute of it.

here is Russ, we just had a few drinks at Capt. Tony's which is where the original Sloppy joe's was. we drank at the very same bar at Earnest Hemmingway and then we went to Sloppy Joe's where i danced to "dancing with myself" all by my self in front of maybe 300 people. i had had ALOT of margaritas that night.

me, by the pier, at sunset.

some of the best sushi ever. A Key West roll and an Eel roll

some awesome smoking sashimi. yum!

and last but not least, us, 90 miles from Cuba.