Home, sweet home :)
After working 60 hours each of the last 2 weeks, I am finally home and ready for a break! In typical fashion, I took a Greyhound last night at 11 out of New York, expecting to arrive in Columbus at 11 this morning. Well the bus that I was transferring to in Pittsburgh was running late, it was also coming from New York but was supposed to leave an hour before us and hadn't left when we did... After a 2 1/2 hour delay in Pittsburgh we were on our way again!
I was able to sleep on and off during the trip and was amazed that every time I opened my eyes, the scenery was more an more white! It was in the low 40's in New York and the more east I got the worse the weather became! I got in around 1:45, two hours and 40 minutes later than anticipated, and was happily reunited with my family :)
On the way home the roads were bad and the snow continued to fall and blow. Right in front of us, a man in a 4-wheel Dodge slide into a deep ditch. We pulled over and helped him get a tow and were reminded to drive slow and be wary. We passed another car being pulled out of a ditch on our own road later.
Once we were home, we were ready to settle in for the evening and enjoy being together again. I'm very excited to have this break from work and stress (hopefully) while taking care of a few things I need to do here. But most of all, I'm thrilled to be back with my family and ready to pick up on all our Christmas traditions and make new ones. It finally feels like Christmas to me :)
Friday, December 21, 2012
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
Things I'm Thankful For
Sometimes it's easy to just look at the negatives (like that I'm going to be working about 60 hours a week for the rest of the month or that my space heater is trying to kill me or that I lost 2 $30 MetroCards over the weekend...) and it's times like these where I just have to enjoy the little things that make me happy. So I thought I'd make a quick list of some New York-specific things that have happened in the last couple days that have made me happy.
1. The super/man (hehe he's not Superman, he's a man who's the super of a building I walk by on my way to the subway) who's usually sitting outside his building and says hello and tells me I work too much and that I need to take some time to have fun because life is too short to work all the time!
2. Getting a computer right away at the library THEN getting my tickets printed no problem AND finding books I actually want to read! (Going to the library has always caused me problems here...)
3. Being asked by another graphic designer if I'd just redesigned the header on a website at my internship because it looked really cool! (Check it out if you like and if the background is just black, refresh it)
4. All week the D train has arrived at my 34th street station right as I was getting there and I was able to get on it right away!
5. My new phone. My first smart phone (I'm finally in the 21st century!) which I probably would not have felt the need to get if I weren't living in New York.
6. That I live in a house with some cool people who go into action when they hear the carbon monoxide detector going off in my apartment instead of a) not knowing what it was or b) ignoring it and waiting for me to get home and deal with it.
7. The awesome people I work with at Hill Country who notice that I haven't been around much and tell me they've really missed me.
8. Having entertainment during my commute on the subway - usually awesome breakdancers. Tonight a troop of 4 brothers, the oldest about my age and the youngest probably 8? They were done after performing for the car I was in, then they just turned on their music and were flipping and jumping off the doors and twisting around the poles just for fun and it was so fun to watch. Those guys are so talented! Much respect for breakdancers.
Those are just a few things off the top of my head, but those are the things I need to remember. Being thankful for the little things isn't something that should be reserved for Thanksgiving, it should happen everyday.
1. The super/man (hehe he's not Superman, he's a man who's the super of a building I walk by on my way to the subway) who's usually sitting outside his building and says hello and tells me I work too much and that I need to take some time to have fun because life is too short to work all the time!
2. Getting a computer right away at the library THEN getting my tickets printed no problem AND finding books I actually want to read! (Going to the library has always caused me problems here...)
3. Being asked by another graphic designer if I'd just redesigned the header on a website at my internship because it looked really cool! (Check it out if you like and if the background is just black, refresh it)
4. All week the D train has arrived at my 34th street station right as I was getting there and I was able to get on it right away!
5. My new phone. My first smart phone (I'm finally in the 21st century!) which I probably would not have felt the need to get if I weren't living in New York.
6. That I live in a house with some cool people who go into action when they hear the carbon monoxide detector going off in my apartment instead of a) not knowing what it was or b) ignoring it and waiting for me to get home and deal with it.
7. The awesome people I work with at Hill Country who notice that I haven't been around much and tell me they've really missed me.
8. Having entertainment during my commute on the subway - usually awesome breakdancers. Tonight a troop of 4 brothers, the oldest about my age and the youngest probably 8? They were done after performing for the car I was in, then they just turned on their music and were flipping and jumping off the doors and twisting around the poles just for fun and it was so fun to watch. Those guys are so talented! Much respect for breakdancers.
Those are just a few things off the top of my head, but those are the things I need to remember. Being thankful for the little things isn't something that should be reserved for Thanksgiving, it should happen everyday.
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
A Good English Cuppa
It's been a crazy last few weeks, first travelling home for the weekend which turned into a week then returning to New York for 5 days before heading out to Kansas for Thanksgiving and to be reunited with my college friends in what is a big visitation weekend at Hesston. My days and body are very confused on the ever changing schedules but I'm pretty sure that today is Monday which can only mean one thing: it's recipe time!
I'm not going to get all fancy this week, this isn't even going to be a recipe for food (although I do have some great dessert recipes I've discovered... stay posted!). This may be cheating since it's a drink and drinks are commonly made in mugs... but my recipe for the week is simple English tea in a mug.
Yes it's simple and maybe this version of tea is cheating on another level because it doesn't involve a kettle and stove and whistle but tea means a lot to me. You see, my granny was born in England and although she moved to America at just 6 months of age, she was very English, her mother having grown up and living in England until that point. And what is more English than tea?
Grannie passed on the tea-loving gene to my mom who also raised my sister and I on it. Our coffee maker was even turned into a hot tea maker as my dad slowly gave up on anyone else in the house liking coffee.
Growing up, I might be greeted in the morning with a hot cup of tea to 'help me wake up slowly'. Whenever I was sick or feeling down, a cup of hot tea was always the answer and would be quickly delivered by my mom or my grannie. Before school started each fall, my grannie would host a tea party for the girls in the family, my sister and I, Mom, my youngest aunt, and my younger cousins. Whenever we would stop by Grannie's house after school, have a sleepover, or after a big family meal, a nice cup of hot tea was offered. At our tea parties, Grannie would educate us on the etiquitte of tea and always have a few different choices of tea. Sugar cubes were always on hand because that was the best way to sweeten tea.
My wonderful Grannie passed away almost a month ago. It's hard to believe it's been that much time already. It's been a crazy, surreal, emotional few weeks. I don't want to dwell on all that though. The important thing is her life, I know she's in a far better place now and all we can do is remember the good times and happy memories. It is also important to keep her memory alive through the little things and, for me, one thing that will always remind me of my grannie is hot, English tea.
I don't use a kettle and stovetop. And I don't have sugar cubes on hand or beautiful china teacups. But the taste is the same and that is one of comfort and warmth and love.
I'm not going to get all fancy this week, this isn't even going to be a recipe for food (although I do have some great dessert recipes I've discovered... stay posted!). This may be cheating since it's a drink and drinks are commonly made in mugs... but my recipe for the week is simple English tea in a mug.
Yes it's simple and maybe this version of tea is cheating on another level because it doesn't involve a kettle and stove and whistle but tea means a lot to me. You see, my granny was born in England and although she moved to America at just 6 months of age, she was very English, her mother having grown up and living in England until that point. And what is more English than tea?
Grannie passed on the tea-loving gene to my mom who also raised my sister and I on it. Our coffee maker was even turned into a hot tea maker as my dad slowly gave up on anyone else in the house liking coffee.
Growing up, I might be greeted in the morning with a hot cup of tea to 'help me wake up slowly'. Whenever I was sick or feeling down, a cup of hot tea was always the answer and would be quickly delivered by my mom or my grannie. Before school started each fall, my grannie would host a tea party for the girls in the family, my sister and I, Mom, my youngest aunt, and my younger cousins. Whenever we would stop by Grannie's house after school, have a sleepover, or after a big family meal, a nice cup of hot tea was offered. At our tea parties, Grannie would educate us on the etiquitte of tea and always have a few different choices of tea. Sugar cubes were always on hand because that was the best way to sweeten tea.
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| Back-to-school tea party - many years ago |
My wonderful Grannie passed away almost a month ago. It's hard to believe it's been that much time already. It's been a crazy, surreal, emotional few weeks. I don't want to dwell on all that though. The important thing is her life, I know she's in a far better place now and all we can do is remember the good times and happy memories. It is also important to keep her memory alive through the little things and, for me, one thing that will always remind me of my grannie is hot, English tea.
I don't use a kettle and stovetop. And I don't have sugar cubes on hand or beautiful china teacups. But the taste is the same and that is one of comfort and warmth and love.
Hot English Tea
Fill a mug almost full with water. Microwave 1 1/2 minutes. Place 1 teaspoon loose-leaf basic black tea (I like English Breakfast) in a tea ball, tea bag, or tea infuser of some sort (or use a pre-made, storebought tea bag, of a basic black tea such as English Breakfast. But PLEASE don't use Lipton :P )
Place the tea bag into the hot water and steep 3-4 minutes, depending how strong you like it. Remove the tea bag and squeeze out the bag with a spoon. Add sugar to taste (1 Tablespoon if you're a lady in my family ;) ) Add a splash of milk (about 1/2 Tablespoon) and stir.
*Tea etiquette: Only add milk to basic, black, English tea.
Curl up with a good book, sit and look out the window, use it in the morning to "wake up slowly," or invite a friend over to join you, set out some cookies and sweet bread and enjoy your tea.
<3 Ashley
Sunday, November 11, 2012
From the Greyhound
Hey all!
(*****Sorry that it's been soooo long since I've posted, I wrote this Thursday night but Blogger wasn't working so I'm just now actually getting to publish it :( Lots has happened since this that I may write about later, but I wanted to share these adventures*****)
Thanks to modern technology I am writing this post using the free wifi on a Greyhound bus! Yep, I'm on a Greyhound headed home for the weekend for some family stuff.
I probably don't need to tell you that I've been busy, but I will apologize for not posting recently (and missing another Mug Monday...) There's just been a lot on my mind and a lot going on. But right now I've got 13 hours on the road and wifi so what better to do than write a blog post :)
It snowed for the first time yesterday! Which was really pretty exciting. I don't like winter much at all but I do enjoy some snow.
It was rainy-snowy when I was walking to WeSell, then it came down in big, beautiful flakes that we watched out the windows. Joe from Jamaica was all excited because it was only the second time he'd seen snow. Of course from what I hear, snow in New York is pretty for about 5 minutes before it turns black and gross. So that's unfortunate.
The walk home was not so fun then. I don't have a pair of boots (for rain or snow) and I was wearing about the worst shoes I could be for walking through snow: a pair of flat that rain tends to soak through the bottom of. And by the time I was going home there was a good inch and a half-two inches of snow on the ground! And it was still coming down, blowing right in my face as I walked the third of a mile home. Uphill. In wet shoes. Hehe, just trying to sound like one of "those people," that is all true though...
It was strange also because the trees still have most of their leaves. So here's these trees looking like summer or fall and then branches hanging cause they're extra weighted down by snow!
Today I went in to WeSell, taking my suitcase and carry-on with me, and worked a pretty regular day. Afterwards I had some strange experiences, strange as in my life is always an adventure!
I went to Hill Country to buy some Salted Caramel Cupcakes because I talk about them all the time to my family and I want them to get to try them! (Shhhh they don't know that I'm bringing them...)
If we're being honest though, that's not the real reason I went into HC. I actually went in to get a haircut. No, seriously. One of the cashiers is actually a hair stylist by trade and I'd mentioned a couple weeks ago that I was wanted a haircut and he said he'd do it for free! So we'd been trying to work out a time and it was supposed to happen the last 3 days but something always came up or didn't work out right. I really wanted the haircut before I went home so he said to come in to HC and he'd do it real quick. So I went in and someone else covered the register and we snuck to this little room on the side where the dumpsters are kept and he gave me trim! Haha. Sometimes you just gotta do what ya gotta do!
After my haircut and saying hi and bye to all my friends there, I headed back uptown and stopped in at Cafe R for some supper (shrimp tempura sushi!) Then it was off to the bus station - Port Authority.
I'm pretty excited for my first big Greyhound adventure. Even though it's a 13 hour ride and I have a transfer that I'm a little nervous about, I have a "free spirit, travel loving, adventure seeking side" (in the words of Wendy) that makes me giddy for new experiences.
I got to the bus station and had no idea where I was going or what to do. I had to find the information area so that I could get my ticket (I had bought one but had no way of printing it...) I've done a lot of flying and am very comfortable in airports but this was a whole new ball game. The problem is that people can tell when you don't know where you're going and they jump on that.
I was looking at a map and a man came over asking where I was going and said to follow him and he'd get me there, he knew the whole place. I declined and he joked that I just didn't want to have to tip him, whatever that's supposed to mean... I then asked someone working at a kiosk there for help and they directed me to the Greyhound information center which I found easily and got my tickets printed, after a lady offered me her ticket that she wasn't using and was expiring today, all I had to do was pay the difference between her $65 ticket and what I told her my ticket would cost.
I searched my tickets for a gate number but no luck. I was standing outside the Greyhound check in area and debating if I should go downstairs and look around since I'd heard that's where I would check my luggage when a man in all black with a cap on his head and badge hanging from his neck walked over and asked if I knew where I was going. He then asked my age and if I had ID to prove that and explained that he was a cop and there's been a lot of runaways going through that station. I hesitantly showed him my ID and he said I was fine, and he's just making sure. Then he made sure I knew where I was going and advised me to get there quickly because there are a lot of bad guys hanging out up there on the lookout for girls who aren't from New York and don't know where they're going. Comforting.
Once I got to the gate there were no more issues, except the lady in front of me bumping me with her big old bum every time she stood up or sat down on the floor, which she felt the need to do every time we moved up in line while waiting to start boarding.
I'm sooooo excited to be going home for a little bit. It will be wonderful to be with my family.
Friday, November 2, 2012
Fun and Freedom
I saw a pic that my friend Alanah posted on her Facebook wall with this quote on it and loved it! Inspired, I created my own version to be my Facebook cover photo. Hope you like it!
See the full size on my Facebook page.
Thursday, November 1, 2012
Munchkins on the Counter Make My Day
Back to work today! Buses were "partially running," what that meant exactly I wasn't sure but I set out at 9:45 to catch the 10:01 BxM4 Xpress bus into Midtown, hoping to make it to work by 12. There were other people at the bus stop which I saw as promising and took to mean that they probably knew the bus was indeed running. They did not actually know this, I found. Everyone was on the same page, not knowing for sure when or even if this bus was coming. And it didn't, not the 10:01 AM bus at least. Around 10:30 we saw a BxM4 driving in the opposite direction, towards Yonkers instead of Manhattan. We all grew hopeful then, knowing that the bus was at least running!
It was interesting to see the little community that built as we all waited. A British man helped out a dog walker by informing him that the buses honestly were free today and that he didn't need to keep counting that pile of change and making sure he had $5. The dog walker then opened up to him about his latest bout of struggles and how everything happens at once. An Irish couple "here for a fortnight" nervously joked with anyone who talked to them that yes, this was the stop for the BxM4... if it ever showed up.
Finally, the bus did show up! We saw it there on the horizon, squinted to see the numbers, and all exclaimed with joy (no really, we did) when, at last!, they were the combination of numbers and letters we were all hoping for. We all piled in at about 11:20, happy to get out of the cold and be on our way. We even all got seats!
It was about a 2 hour bus ride, hitting bad traffic once we got into Harlem. I enjoyed being above ground the whole time and seeing the sites of the route I usually am traveling underneath. Surprisingly, I didn't see a whole lot of destruction, not as much as I thought I'd see at least. There were some trees down and some caution tape and some windows/storefronts were boarded up. I suppose everything along the road had been cleaned up though, so the buses could actually run, understandable.
I got to work around 1:10 and found only a handful of people in the office. There's probably 35-40 people who work there and today there were maybe 12 of us. There were also Munchkins sitting on the kitchen counter.... as in donut holes from Dunkin Donuts :) They seemed to be fall flavors (like pumpkin!) and they honestly made me feel that going into the office was worth it.
It was a pretty good day at the office too. With so few people it seemed like I got to chat with more people. I also got to create the flier for an upcoming pubcrawl which makes me feel like a real designer!
Getting home was another experience. I decided to take the same bus as in the morning so that I didn't have to make any transfers. I left work a half hour early in order to catch the 7:55 bus. Wellllll, just like the morning version, it did not come. Once again there was a little community built as a group of us waited for the bus to arrive. A man told us how he was glad that the bus was free today because $5.50! He could easily buy some rolling paper and weed to fill it with for that money. A guy from Peurto Rico told me about his first experience with a hurricane and how the sky had turned red. I also noticed the oddity of looking to my left and seeing the city full of light while to my left side the only lights were headlights, the lower many streets still being without power.
It was pretty chilly, mostly due to the wind and, once again, it was a long wait for the bus. Another hour and 20 minutes, actually. The trip home was shorter, thanks to less traffic. Plus, when I arrived I found a lovely package of popcorn and goodies waiting for me! (Thank you Grandma!!)
Overall a successful day! I'm very happy that the subways are open (at least the trains and stations that I use) tomorrow! The bus might be a nice change every once in awhile but I don't understand it well enough (and neither does ANY other New Yorker) to have the stress of HAVING to use it.
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Survived the Hurricane
Hi All!
I had another relaxing day at home today--I drank lots of homemade hot apple cider and fixed my Cablevision box (now I can change channels again!). The rain had stopped by the afternoon and my electricity never went out!
I still haven't gone outside and really seen the damage, but I'll be going in to WeSell tomorrow so I'll have more to report then.
Figuring out how to get to work was a little stressful. The subways are still shut down and will be for a few days yet. The buses are partially running and cabs are in full force, making a killing I'm sure. Around 9:30 tonight I found out that the buses should be in full service tomorrow, which was a huge relief since a taxi would cost about $100 round trip since I'm so far from Midtown. So for the second time since I've been in NYC I'll be taking a bus!
I'm a little nervous as I'm sure it will be packed and, like I said I'm not used to taking buses... But it will be fun to be above ground the whole time and I'll get to see the city as I go, what's left of it. A new adventure!
I had another relaxing day at home today--I drank lots of homemade hot apple cider and fixed my Cablevision box (now I can change channels again!). The rain had stopped by the afternoon and my electricity never went out!
I still haven't gone outside and really seen the damage, but I'll be going in to WeSell tomorrow so I'll have more to report then.
Figuring out how to get to work was a little stressful. The subways are still shut down and will be for a few days yet. The buses are partially running and cabs are in full force, making a killing I'm sure. Around 9:30 tonight I found out that the buses should be in full service tomorrow, which was a huge relief since a taxi would cost about $100 round trip since I'm so far from Midtown. So for the second time since I've been in NYC I'll be taking a bus!
I'm a little nervous as I'm sure it will be packed and, like I said I'm not used to taking buses... But it will be fun to be above ground the whole time and I'll get to see the city as I go, what's left of it. A new adventure!
Monday, October 29, 2012
Hurricane Day
Well Hurricane Sandy aka Frankenstorm is blasting through NYC.
I have to admit, I was a little excited to witness a hurricane, especially one that was getting this much hype! I've always lived inland and hurricanes were never an issue, although the tornadoes I was in Kansas for were pretty exciting. So my first hurricane being a "hybrid" storm-- hurricane mixing with a winter storm front from the west and coming in at high tide on a full moon-- seemed like a pretty big deal!
I worked at Hill Country yesterday. I was the opening host and we ended up closing early (at 5) so I did all the closing work too. There was so much electricity in the air as we all rushed to get the place closed and get everyone home before the subways shut down at 7.
Today the storm rolled in. I awoke to the sound of rain and wind, the wind getting worse as the day went on. I've been fortunate enough not to lose power or to have any flooding (something I was warned my ground-level apartment was prone to doing). With the subways being shut down, most of New York is too. Even the New York Stock Exchange closed for today and tomorrow, the first unplanned closing since 9/11.
Since I didn't have any hindrances, today was just a nice day off from work! (Well the buttons on my Cablevision box did stop working and since my remote has never really worked my tv is now stuck on Starz, which so far hasn't been too bad.) And hopefully tomorrow will be another nice break (praying that the electricity stays on all day!)
It was so nice to sleep in this morning and have a day where I had to stay home and mostly just relax! I like to wake up slow in the mornings. And make myself something delicious for breakfast of course :) In my quest for more mug recipes I found this recipe for French Toast in a Mug and thought it would be a perfect Hurricane Day breakfast (ok, brunch if we're talking time of day).
I made it for the first time a couple days ago and was impressed! Last time (when these pics were taken), I was fancy and used bread from a mini baguette I had gotten at the grocery but today I used regular bread slices and it was just as delicious!
Since I didn't have any hindrances, today was just a nice day off from work! (Well the buttons on my Cablevision box did stop working and since my remote has never really worked my tv is now stuck on Starz, which so far hasn't been too bad.) And hopefully tomorrow will be another nice break (praying that the electricity stays on all day!)
It was so nice to sleep in this morning and have a day where I had to stay home and mostly just relax! I like to wake up slow in the mornings. And make myself something delicious for breakfast of course :) In my quest for more mug recipes I found this recipe for French Toast in a Mug and thought it would be a perfect Hurricane Day breakfast (ok, brunch if we're talking time of day).
I made it for the first time a couple days ago and was impressed! Last time (when these pics were taken), I was fancy and used bread from a mini baguette I had gotten at the grocery but today I used regular bread slices and it was just as delicious!
Mug French Toast
1/2 Tablespoon butter
2 slices bread
1 egg
3 Tablespoons milk
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
Few drops vanilla
Melt the butter in a large mug and tilt the mug so that the butter coats the sides. Rip or cut the bread into cubes and drop them into the mug, filling it up. In a bowl, beat the egg, milk, cinnamon, and vanilla together. Pour the liquid mixture over the bread, coating all of the topmost pieces.
Microwave for 1-2 minutes or until the egg is set (most of the egginess will settle in the bottom so pull the bread away from the sides to check that the eggs are no longer liquid-y in the bottom of the mug.) Top with syrup and enjoy!
I'd be interested in adding syrup to the egg mixture to get a maple flavor "baked" into the toast... Also in mixing peanut butter with the syrup as I love peanut butter on my French toast!
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
A Post with Lots of Pictures of Yummy Food
Sorry all! I know I've been really bad about posting lately. I worked 57 hours last week and had a lot of late nights which resulted in my time at home going towards cleaning or doing laundry or trying to plan out how I'm getting places for the holidays, rather than to writing blog posts. I even missed Mug Monday :/ I didn't get home from the office until around 11 and I'm pretty sure all I could do at that point was eat a Salted Caramel Cupcake I'd brought home from Hill Country over the weekend and called it good hehe.
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| Mmmm rich, gooey caramel |
I had a good weekend, mostly just worked at Hill Country but I did go out for brunch on Friday with a friend from Resource. We went to a French Cafe that's pretty new and had some yummy frittatas.
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| Tea, bread, and frittata |
It was really fun to catch up with her and see how things are going at Resource, as well as get a copy of the Fall issue which actually has my name in it! She lives in Williamsburg so I met her there and had my first Williamsburg experience. Except it was raining so it wasn't the full experience of that hipster mecca. Don't worry though, I'll be back to visit her again and have a better report :)
Other highlights from the weekend... I knocked out a few Pinterest projects including cleaning the tray in my toaster oven and trying out what I'm dubbing the most painful mask in the world. It seemed like such a great idea and I was told later in the day that I looked "gorgeous! Did you do something different? To your face or hair or something?" So I guess it was worth something. But wow, I was nearly in tears peeling that thing off. If I use it again I would not put it on my entire face. Be warned!!
Oh! After brunch I stopped by this Italian Bakery that's really near my subway stop home and totally delicious! A treat for the Bronx, I must say. My dad got us pastries from there for breakfast one morning when my parents were moving me out here and he was exploring the area. I've been meaning to go back but waiting on money and finally felt like I could spurge a little. This is what I got there:
It was delicious and a nice sweet treat since my brunch had been so savory.
In case you can't tell, I really like taking pictures of my food :)
Thursday, October 18, 2012
Pizza, Players, and an Open Window
Whew, what a day! A good day :)
I worked at WeSell today, plotting out the locations of venues for a huge Halloween pub crawl. This proved to be a day long task as it involved a lot of double checking and additional steps. But it was actually pretty fun! I'm still trying to wrap my mind around the fact that I'm actually doing what I love and am interested in, as a job!
It's crunch time for this event which meant that everything I was working on had to be done today. My boss, David, had stayed in the office yesterday until 5am this morning and it was looking like tonight was going to be another late night, but for more than just him! Technically I'm supposed to be done at 8 but I don't usually leave until around 8:30. Tonight I left at 11:30. But I was told I'll get paid a little something for staying so long. Plus, we got pizza!
The others left around 10 and at 10:30 disaster struck! David and I were both working on the maps to get them done faster when--suddenly and for no apparent reason, the folder we were saving all our files into just disappeared! Into thin air. This was super scary as it meant we would have to redo EVERYTHING I had been working on that day. Luckily he figured it out and we both rejoiced and got back to work. It was a fun time to get to know some of the other people in the office better. And fun because I enjoy the work :)
I had some entertainment on the subway when a man in his 40's got on the train with a younger friend. The older man was reminiscing about his younger years, "those were the days," and recounting how he was quite a player-- talking of how he would scout out an area and get a feel for it then go to a thrift store and buy cloths that fit the attitude there just so he could pick up the ladies from that area. (He came on the train describing how ladies are actually more judgmental than guys because they size up a man and judge every detail of a man upon first encounter, so naturally he had to dress a certain part to be accepted by ladies.) He was interesting to listen to and I shared a few looks and laughs with a girl across the aisle from me who was also listening to him.
One thing I did learn from him is that the subways would be the worst place possible to be during a flood. He said there was no way to get out of them in an emergency like that and they'd fill right up with water... Which doesn't put very pretty pictures in your head.
I came home to find a new addition to my apartment thanks to the construction outside (some refurbishing of the ole brownstone). I found a rather inconveniently placed extension cord strung from my living room window to an outlet by my door. I was awoken by the sounds of power tools and loud male voices right outside my window the following day. Today there is a layer of dust of some sort on everything laying out on my kitchen counters (which is pretty much all my dishes, spices, some food boxes...). I guess the dust/dirt came in through my window which is still slightly open, only because I can't reach the top of it :/
Anyways, that got very off topic but it was a good day overall :) But now I'm going to attempt to clean up some of this dust... Or go to bed. We'll see how I feel when I stand up.
I worked at WeSell today, plotting out the locations of venues for a huge Halloween pub crawl. This proved to be a day long task as it involved a lot of double checking and additional steps. But it was actually pretty fun! I'm still trying to wrap my mind around the fact that I'm actually doing what I love and am interested in, as a job!
It's crunch time for this event which meant that everything I was working on had to be done today. My boss, David, had stayed in the office yesterday until 5am this morning and it was looking like tonight was going to be another late night, but for more than just him! Technically I'm supposed to be done at 8 but I don't usually leave until around 8:30. Tonight I left at 11:30. But I was told I'll get paid a little something for staying so long. Plus, we got pizza!
The others left around 10 and at 10:30 disaster struck! David and I were both working on the maps to get them done faster when--suddenly and for no apparent reason, the folder we were saving all our files into just disappeared! Into thin air. This was super scary as it meant we would have to redo EVERYTHING I had been working on that day. Luckily he figured it out and we both rejoiced and got back to work. It was a fun time to get to know some of the other people in the office better. And fun because I enjoy the work :)
I had some entertainment on the subway when a man in his 40's got on the train with a younger friend. The older man was reminiscing about his younger years, "those were the days," and recounting how he was quite a player-- talking of how he would scout out an area and get a feel for it then go to a thrift store and buy cloths that fit the attitude there just so he could pick up the ladies from that area. (He came on the train describing how ladies are actually more judgmental than guys because they size up a man and judge every detail of a man upon first encounter, so naturally he had to dress a certain part to be accepted by ladies.) He was interesting to listen to and I shared a few looks and laughs with a girl across the aisle from me who was also listening to him.
One thing I did learn from him is that the subways would be the worst place possible to be during a flood. He said there was no way to get out of them in an emergency like that and they'd fill right up with water... Which doesn't put very pretty pictures in your head.
I came home to find a new addition to my apartment thanks to the construction outside (some refurbishing of the ole brownstone). I found a rather inconveniently placed extension cord strung from my living room window to an outlet by my door. I was awoken by the sounds of power tools and loud male voices right outside my window the following day. Today there is a layer of dust of some sort on everything laying out on my kitchen counters (which is pretty much all my dishes, spices, some food boxes...). I guess the dust/dirt came in through my window which is still slightly open, only because I can't reach the top of it :/
Anyways, that got very off topic but it was a good day overall :) But now I'm going to attempt to clean up some of this dust... Or go to bed. We'll see how I feel when I stand up.
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
Egg On My Face--Literally!
Remember those super delicious mug chocolate chip cookies that I shared the recipe for in one of my first posts? Yeah, I love those things. And by that I mean that I have one at the very least once a week. There's a problem with them though, they use one egg yolk. Leaving at least one abandoned egg white a week!
I hate to waste and living frugally on my own has reinforced that. But what do you do with one egg white? I usually just put it in a little container and mix it in with scrambled eggs in the morning. I know that there are recipes out there that use just egg whites but are they the type of recipes I would make here for myself? If you know of some please share! Or suggest ideas and I'll look into it.
In the meantime, I was browsing through my Beauty Tips board on Pinterest and found this DIY Peel-Off Mask recipe, using just one egg white!! How perfect! So tonight I made a chocolate chip cookie in the microwave (while making Rice-A-Roni and hard boiling eggs on my hot plate, which is apparently an overload on the power strip all those things are plugged into, as it kept flipping off... maybe because the power strip is then plugged into an extension cord which is finally plugged into the outlet) and gave the mask a try!
You just take an egg white, whip it a little and spread it on your face with a brush. Then press a tissue onto the wet egg and spread more yolk onto that! I didn't use all of the egg either, so I could use it again later in the week.
I think the mask worked well, my face looks and feels soft and smooth. Plus it was so simple! Just an egg white, a tissue, and a brush (the original site says to use a face pack brush but... I don't have one of those so I just used a regular little paint brush because I have plenty of those). The mask could have doubled as a Halloween costume too! Haha and it's fun to be able to peel it off at the end.
I hate to waste and living frugally on my own has reinforced that. But what do you do with one egg white? I usually just put it in a little container and mix it in with scrambled eggs in the morning. I know that there are recipes out there that use just egg whites but are they the type of recipes I would make here for myself? If you know of some please share! Or suggest ideas and I'll look into it.
In the meantime, I was browsing through my Beauty Tips board on Pinterest and found this DIY Peel-Off Mask recipe, using just one egg white!! How perfect! So tonight I made a chocolate chip cookie in the microwave (while making Rice-A-Roni and hard boiling eggs on my hot plate, which is apparently an overload on the power strip all those things are plugged into, as it kept flipping off... maybe because the power strip is then plugged into an extension cord which is finally plugged into the outlet) and gave the mask a try!
You just take an egg white, whip it a little and spread it on your face with a brush. Then press a tissue onto the wet egg and spread more yolk onto that! I didn't use all of the egg either, so I could use it again later in the week.
I think the mask worked well, my face looks and feels soft and smooth. Plus it was so simple! Just an egg white, a tissue, and a brush (the original site says to use a face pack brush but... I don't have one of those so I just used a regular little paint brush because I have plenty of those). The mask could have doubled as a Halloween costume too! Haha and it's fun to be able to peel it off at the end.
It took about half an hour for mine to harden completely. It didn't do as much for removing black heads as I'd hoped but if you're looking for a simple mask to tighten, brighten, and soften skin I would definitely recommend this one :)
Monday, October 15, 2012
A Little Breakfast Something
Hello again!
It's been a busy weekend (aren't they always?!)-- working and hanging out with friends and cleaning up my apartment in the tiny bits of time I'm actually in it!
I'm trying to take some of the uncertainty out of my mornings by planning my outfits at the beginning of the week, packing my lunches the night before (and making foods that I can take as leftovers a few days in row), and having nutritious and delicious breakfast foods on hand. So far I'm not doing very well in those areas haha. I did make mini baked oatmeals last night so I'm set for some delicious breakfast this week :)
I get home from my internship somewhere between 9:30 and 10 pm and by that point I'm usually ready to settle in and waste time on the internet. Or, if I do have motivation, (like tonight) I get on Pinterest to look up something that I'm going to make/do then half an hour later realize that was a mistake.
I do still have some motivation though so I'm here to post a Mug Monday recipe then I'll be planning some lunchtime meals because, as my boss pointed out to me today, EasyMac is not very good for you. (I think he was a little disappointed that I had EasyMac for lunch after he saw me eating homemade baked oatmeal for breakfast!)
Speaking of breakfast, this was the very first mug recipe that I made. I found it on Pinterest and was intrigued. Then I tried it and was hooked! The original recipe is from the blog Chocolate Covered Katie, where I have also found some great recipes for oatmeal-- but that's a story for another post.
This coffee cake recipe is delicious! And super easy and fast, what could be better?! It takes about 5 minutes total but can also be prepared ahead of time and be nuked in the morning, or whenever you're ready for it! (I found this recipe while still living at home and after I tried it I mixed up 3 for my family one night. I left the mugs on the counter for them to pop in the microwave in the morning before school and work, that way I was treating them to breakfast and I didn't have to wake up at 6am)
It's been a busy weekend (aren't they always?!)-- working and hanging out with friends and cleaning up my apartment in the tiny bits of time I'm actually in it!
I'm trying to take some of the uncertainty out of my mornings by planning my outfits at the beginning of the week, packing my lunches the night before (and making foods that I can take as leftovers a few days in row), and having nutritious and delicious breakfast foods on hand. So far I'm not doing very well in those areas haha. I did make mini baked oatmeals last night so I'm set for some delicious breakfast this week :)
I get home from my internship somewhere between 9:30 and 10 pm and by that point I'm usually ready to settle in and waste time on the internet. Or, if I do have motivation, (like tonight) I get on Pinterest to look up something that I'm going to make/do then half an hour later realize that was a mistake.
I do still have some motivation though so I'm here to post a Mug Monday recipe then I'll be planning some lunchtime meals because, as my boss pointed out to me today, EasyMac is not very good for you. (I think he was a little disappointed that I had EasyMac for lunch after he saw me eating homemade baked oatmeal for breakfast!)
Speaking of breakfast, this was the very first mug recipe that I made. I found it on Pinterest and was intrigued. Then I tried it and was hooked! The original recipe is from the blog Chocolate Covered Katie, where I have also found some great recipes for oatmeal-- but that's a story for another post.
This coffee cake recipe is delicious! And super easy and fast, what could be better?! It takes about 5 minutes total but can also be prepared ahead of time and be nuked in the morning, or whenever you're ready for it! (I found this recipe while still living at home and after I tried it I mixed up 3 for my family one night. I left the mugs on the counter for them to pop in the microwave in the morning before school and work, that way I was treating them to breakfast and I didn't have to wake up at 6am)
Coffee Cake in a Mug
3 Tablespoons flour Topping:
1/4 teaspoon baking powder 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
2 shakes salt 1 1/4 teaspoon brown sugar
1 Tablespoon sugar 2 pecan halves, chopped (optional)
1 Tablespoon + 2 teaspoons water *I keep a ziploc bag with a
2 teaspoons oil cinnamon/brown sugar mixture
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract so I have it ready whenever
Combine the dry ingredients in a small bowl. Add wet ingredients. Scoop 1/2 the batter into a greased, regular sized mug. Sprinkle half of the topping onto the batter. Add the remaining batter and top with the rest of the cinnamon and sugar. Microwave for 1 minute or so and enjoy! With coffee or tea or milk :)
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| Part of a healthy, balanced breakfast ;) |
Friday, October 12, 2012
The Heat is On!
It's been getting pretty chilly here in NYC. I fell like I was just wearing shorts 2 weeks ago (oh wait, I was) and now it's already jacket weather! It got cold quick, and I'm not a fan of cold weather. This sudden change in weather makes me wish I was back in Kansas where the winters were extremely mild and unseasonably warm, the two that I experienced were at least.
My apartment doesn't hold heat very well and has been almost as chilly as it is outside! That might be a slight exaggeration, I do think it's been warmer than 50* in here... Nonetheless, I'm naturally cold pretty much all the time and having only a little space heater and only a few warm clothes (I was only supposed to be here for the summer after all) meant that I was drinking a lot of hot chocolate and tea and bundling into the few pairs of sweats I had with me.
Towards the middle of the week things improved with a wonderful care package from my parents, full of sweaters, dress pants, and shoes that I had left at home but now needed for my internship, and the chilly weather, plus a lot of food! Yay for my wonderful parents :)
Then, this morning, the heat was on!! There are two heaters in my apartment, one in the bedroom and one in the living room. Apparently the heat for the whole house goes through these before getting to the rest of the house so I'm not in control of my own heating. My days are shivering in my own apartment are over! (Ok, it wasn't really that bad) In fact, from what I hear it'll be so toasty that I'll probably be wearing shorts around my apartment in the dead of winter--which is fine with me!
Because the heat was on (well, I'm guessing that's why) we had an unexpected visitor (I wasn't expecting him at least): the gas and electric guy. I was still in my pajamas and about to do some yoga when he and Danny, who lives upstairs, came to my door to explain that he needed to come in and check the meters which are conveniently located in my apartment. That was a lil awkward... Mostly because he couldn't find the electrical one and neither Danny or I knew where it was and the guy was in a hurry and impatient with us as he had a big route to do today.
Oh well, we'll look forward to another visit from him next month and for now I'll enjoy basking in the heat :)
My apartment doesn't hold heat very well and has been almost as chilly as it is outside! That might be a slight exaggeration, I do think it's been warmer than 50* in here... Nonetheless, I'm naturally cold pretty much all the time and having only a little space heater and only a few warm clothes (I was only supposed to be here for the summer after all) meant that I was drinking a lot of hot chocolate and tea and bundling into the few pairs of sweats I had with me.
Towards the middle of the week things improved with a wonderful care package from my parents, full of sweaters, dress pants, and shoes that I had left at home but now needed for my internship, and the chilly weather, plus a lot of food! Yay for my wonderful parents :)
Then, this morning, the heat was on!! There are two heaters in my apartment, one in the bedroom and one in the living room. Apparently the heat for the whole house goes through these before getting to the rest of the house so I'm not in control of my own heating. My days are shivering in my own apartment are over! (Ok, it wasn't really that bad) In fact, from what I hear it'll be so toasty that I'll probably be wearing shorts around my apartment in the dead of winter--which is fine with me!
Because the heat was on (well, I'm guessing that's why) we had an unexpected visitor (I wasn't expecting him at least): the gas and electric guy. I was still in my pajamas and about to do some yoga when he and Danny, who lives upstairs, came to my door to explain that he needed to come in and check the meters which are conveniently located in my apartment. That was a lil awkward... Mostly because he couldn't find the electrical one and neither Danny or I knew where it was and the guy was in a hurry and impatient with us as he had a big route to do today.
Oh well, we'll look forward to another visit from him next month and for now I'll enjoy basking in the heat :)
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
Wildest Moments
Here it is again, another song that is constantly running through my head. Another Resource intern introduced me to it a month or so ago and I've come back around to it, basically listening to it on repeat.
Wildest Moments by Jessie Ware
Monday, October 8, 2012
Salted Caramel Chocolate Cake
It's Mug Monday!!
I've been making recipes in mugs like crazy- partially to find new ones but mostly because they're just so easy! Breakfast, lunch, dessert... Mostly dessert :) I'm getting quite a collection though and it's difficult to only post them once a week! Maybe I'll have to start sharing them more often... but would that take away from Mug Mondays?!
Anyways, I had a request for this recipe after I'd told my mom about it and she mentioned it to a family friend. I found it (where else?) on Pinterest and it's originally from The Family Kitchen.
I've only added caramels but this makes an awesome, basic chocolate cake that would be equally delcious with chocolate chips, crushed up Andes mints, or a variety of additives. Feel free to be creative :)
I've been making recipes in mugs like crazy- partially to find new ones but mostly because they're just so easy! Breakfast, lunch, dessert... Mostly dessert :) I'm getting quite a collection though and it's difficult to only post them once a week! Maybe I'll have to start sharing them more often... but would that take away from Mug Mondays?!
Anyways, I had a request for this recipe after I'd told my mom about it and she mentioned it to a family friend. I found it (where else?) on Pinterest and it's originally from The Family Kitchen.
I've only added caramels but this makes an awesome, basic chocolate cake that would be equally delcious with chocolate chips, crushed up Andes mints, or a variety of additives. Feel free to be creative :)
Salted Caramel Chocolate Mug Cake
4 Tablespoons flour
4 Tablespoons sugar
3 Tablespoons cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg--beaten
3 Tablespoons milk
1 Tablespoon oil
3-4 caramels
In a large mug, stir together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt. Add the wet ingredients and stir until smooth. *Optional: The original recipe calls for salted caramels but I didn't know such a thing existed. I usually just unwrap the caramels and sprinkle them with some salt to give it the salty-sweet combo.*
Drop the caramels into the batter. (I usually spread them throughout, rather than dropping them all in the middle, because they tend to sink to the bottom.) You could also sprinkle some salt on top of the cake to add to the salty-sweet.
Microwave the cake for about 1 minute and 30 seconds or until it is done. If I had caramel ice cream topping I would probably add that and sea salt on the top after it had cooked.
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| It might look like regular chocolate cake, but it has a secret! |
Enjoy!!
Happy Days at Hill Country
One really cool thing about working at Hill Country is that celebrities are frequent visitors!
Living in New York, I could, and probably do, walk by celebrities on the sidewalk every day and have no idea-- there's just so many people and honestly, they usually look just like anyone else. I can pick models out of the crowd but television stars, musicians, and actors are a little trickier.
Which is why working in a nicer restaurant is great! Celebrities often eat there (Idina Menzel, Neil Diamond, Jesse Jackson, John Legend are just a few I've heard about in the last couple weeks) and someone is bound to recognize them and spread the word that so-and-so is sitting at table 43.
I'd been working at HC about 3 weeks before my first celeb sighting. It was Jaclyn Smith, one of the original Charlie's Angels. I was at the cash register and had no idea who she was or that she was even famous as I searched for a Small tank top she was buying for her daughter. Luckily, she was more in the other cashier's era and he urgently whispered "Do you know who that is?!"
I've been waiting for another celebrity to come in and, hopefully, to actually know who they were and recognize them. This weekend I got my wish!
I worked a double Saturday and while I was on my break and eating downstairs, a server came over to tell Ebony and I that The Fonz was there! Honestly, I've never seen Happy Days, but I do know who The Fonz is and have seen some of Harry Winkler's movies. I happened to end my break and get back to work right as he was leaving which led to me being the one to check him out at the cash register! I was pretty stoked to actually talk to him a little.
He was super nice and shorter in person than I would have thought (although I hear they always are!)-- I had a good 4 inches on him in my cowgirl boots! Here Comes the Boom is his latest movie coming out soon and he was recommending that to everyone. He also said he loved the place and will be back so maybe I'll get to see him again!
It definitely added some excitement to the evening and is a fun fact to tell people!
Thursday, October 4, 2012
Day 2 and Cafe R
Today was my second day at my new internship and it went really well! Maybe even better than yesterday because I was past the first day and already knew what I was supposed to be doing.
It's amazing the differences between the two places already. Everything from the atmosphere, to the work, to the style and setup, the office itself, the size of the operation, the hours and people... I'm thankful for my time at Resource, I had a good experience there and definitely learned a lot, but I'm happy to be in a new environment.
Now, because I love food and am completely in love with the food opportunities open to me in New York, I have to talk about my lunch today. At Resource I packed my lunch pretty much every day to save money, and I'll probably do that a lot at WeSell as well. But this morning time got away from me and there was no time to pack. So, come lunch time (which was actually more like early suppertime), I explored a little and found that there's this awesome deli/cafe, Cafe R, right across the street from my building!
I was always impressed by Bridge Fresh, the deli we frequented in DUMBO, but this, this was ridiculous. Literally any food you could imagine or want was at this place. The sign for a sushi special attracted me and at first all I saw was sushi and Chinese food, which you could order at counters and have made right in front of you. Then I noticed how big the place was and how many more counters and signs there were. Then I noticed the buffet of food ($6.65 per pound) in the middle. Then I saw the little grocery area. Then the packaged foods under the counters (like Easy Mac and Chef Boyardee). Then I realized there was a whole other side lined with counters. And these counters where you could order food were in addition to the coolers and cases in the middle where you could grab ready-made sandwiches and sushi and fruit salads and cookies and wraps and... well you get the idea.
Basically this place was overwhelming, but in a very good way. After glancing at the menus for sushi, Chinese, soup, Teriyaki, and Korean I decided on some orange chicken with lo mein. It was prepared right in front of me and delicious! Plus I could only eat about half and had leftovers-yay!
It's amazing the differences between the two places already. Everything from the atmosphere, to the work, to the style and setup, the office itself, the size of the operation, the hours and people... I'm thankful for my time at Resource, I had a good experience there and definitely learned a lot, but I'm happy to be in a new environment.
Now, because I love food and am completely in love with the food opportunities open to me in New York, I have to talk about my lunch today. At Resource I packed my lunch pretty much every day to save money, and I'll probably do that a lot at WeSell as well. But this morning time got away from me and there was no time to pack. So, come lunch time (which was actually more like early suppertime), I explored a little and found that there's this awesome deli/cafe, Cafe R, right across the street from my building!
I was always impressed by Bridge Fresh, the deli we frequented in DUMBO, but this, this was ridiculous. Literally any food you could imagine or want was at this place. The sign for a sushi special attracted me and at first all I saw was sushi and Chinese food, which you could order at counters and have made right in front of you. Then I noticed how big the place was and how many more counters and signs there were. Then I noticed the buffet of food ($6.65 per pound) in the middle. Then I saw the little grocery area. Then the packaged foods under the counters (like Easy Mac and Chef Boyardee). Then I realized there was a whole other side lined with counters. And these counters where you could order food were in addition to the coolers and cases in the middle where you could grab ready-made sandwiches and sushi and fruit salads and cookies and wraps and... well you get the idea.
Basically this place was overwhelming, but in a very good way. After glancing at the menus for sushi, Chinese, soup, Teriyaki, and Korean I decided on some orange chicken with lo mein. It was prepared right in front of me and delicious! Plus I could only eat about half and had leftovers-yay!
They had seating at both ends of the place, so I stayed there to eat and gawked at all the food options. Pizza, a bakery, "American grill", Mediterranean, hot sandwiches, cold sandwiches (both having pitas, paninis, and wraps), Mexican, Philly Steak, breakfast bar, pasta bar, beverage bar, salad bar, smoothie bar... I, of course, looked them up online later and, although they don't have a website (guess they need a good web designer's help ;), I did find their Facebook page which even shows their specials for every week!
Maybe no one else finds this interesting and I'm sorry if that's the case but I am a lover of food--places like this amaze me and are just another fantastic thing about New York :)
If I don't post for a few days it's because I'm crazy busy working at HC. Pulling a double tomorrow and Saturday plus working normally Friday and Sunday. Gotta make the money to buy these new clothes I want so bad! Haha, or at least to buy lunch for myself every once and awhile ;)
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
Internship #2
So remember that exciting thing I promised to "talk more about later" last weekend? I'm finally going to talk about it.
Two Fridays ago, I had an interview for an internship at WeSell.com, a large advertising and event hosting site located in Manhattan. I felt like the interview had gone really well, but didn't really want to share too much until I had heard something back from them, preferably something positive.
I had been told I would hear from them after about a week and when I didn't hear from them right on Friday (or Saturday... or Sunday) I got a little disheartened. I mean, I felt very good after that interview! But that's life I guess... Who actually gets the first thing they interview for?
Friends advised me to follow up so I planned to call them back today. Well, last night, right in the middle of writing my Mug Monday post, I got a phone call and what do you know, it was David over at WeSell inviting me back and wondering if I could start today! I was ecstatic! I literally jumped up and down and screamed a little, which isn't something I do, like ever.
After fretting over the definition of "Business Casual" I figured out an outfit (I've been longing for new clothes and eager to do some shopping in NYC and now I actually have an excuse to get some new, professional clothes!) and headed off for my first day today! It was awesome. I actually have my own desk, complete with dual monitors! Everyone seems pretty friendly and it's such a professional setting, while being young and fun. Best of all, just the little taste of graphic design work I got to do today made me excited and remember how much I love graphic design. Oh, and did I mention it's a paid internship? A rarity, I assure you.
I'm ready for a new venture and so excited to be doing graphic design work! This is such an answer to prayer and I just wonder what else is in store for me...
Two Fridays ago, I had an interview for an internship at WeSell.com, a large advertising and event hosting site located in Manhattan. I felt like the interview had gone really well, but didn't really want to share too much until I had heard something back from them, preferably something positive.
I had been told I would hear from them after about a week and when I didn't hear from them right on Friday (or Saturday... or Sunday) I got a little disheartened. I mean, I felt very good after that interview! But that's life I guess... Who actually gets the first thing they interview for?
Friends advised me to follow up so I planned to call them back today. Well, last night, right in the middle of writing my Mug Monday post, I got a phone call and what do you know, it was David over at WeSell inviting me back and wondering if I could start today! I was ecstatic! I literally jumped up and down and screamed a little, which isn't something I do, like ever.
After fretting over the definition of "Business Casual" I figured out an outfit (I've been longing for new clothes and eager to do some shopping in NYC and now I actually have an excuse to get some new, professional clothes!) and headed off for my first day today! It was awesome. I actually have my own desk, complete with dual monitors! Everyone seems pretty friendly and it's such a professional setting, while being young and fun. Best of all, just the little taste of graphic design work I got to do today made me excited and remember how much I love graphic design. Oh, and did I mention it's a paid internship? A rarity, I assure you.
I'm ready for a new venture and so excited to be doing graphic design work! This is such an answer to prayer and I just wonder what else is in store for me...
Monday, October 1, 2012
Weekend Visits and Apple Upside Down Cake
Hey All!
It seems like forever since I've posted. Hope everyone had a great weekend!
I've had a lot of excitement the last few days! Over the weekend, a couple of my friends going to school in Virginia drove up for a visit. They brought a guy friend who had two friends from Germany who were on holiday in NYC. It was a fun weekend of seeing old friends as well as making new ones!
We packed a ton of stuff into Saturday: Central Park, Times Square, lunch at Bubba Gump Shrimp Co, Grand Central Station, snacks from Crumbs bakery, Staten Island Ferry, Little Italy, supper at Puglia's, the Brooklyn Bridge... And that's not even including all the extra things we saw/did on the way to those places--street performers, street fairs, we even stumbled across the Pagan Pride Day gathering in Battery Park!
It was a busy, wonderful day followed by a relaxing Sunday brunch at Argo Tea on 58th Street, before they headed back to college.
I'll talk more about the other exciting stuff tomorrow! Because tonight, it's Mug Monday.
Inspired by the fall weather and the fact that I was going to have guests, I bought a bag of locally grown, gala apples and yum! My inspiration has carried through to finding tasty fall recipes using these apples.
Today I'd like to share a recipe I found for Coffee Cup Upside Down Cake. This recipe originally came from The Wichita Eagle (which made me like it all the more as I went to college 45 minutes from Wichita) and appeared in an article featuring four mug recipes, all of which look pretty delicious.
When I think of Upside Down Cake, I always think of pineapple but I thought that using apple would be a nice tribute to fall and that, likewise, the caramel-y topping would pay a nice tribute to the apples :) I was not disappointed.
It seems like forever since I've posted. Hope everyone had a great weekend!
I've had a lot of excitement the last few days! Over the weekend, a couple of my friends going to school in Virginia drove up for a visit. They brought a guy friend who had two friends from Germany who were on holiday in NYC. It was a fun weekend of seeing old friends as well as making new ones!
We packed a ton of stuff into Saturday: Central Park, Times Square, lunch at Bubba Gump Shrimp Co, Grand Central Station, snacks from Crumbs bakery, Staten Island Ferry, Little Italy, supper at Puglia's, the Brooklyn Bridge... And that's not even including all the extra things we saw/did on the way to those places--street performers, street fairs, we even stumbled across the Pagan Pride Day gathering in Battery Park!
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| Getting a great view of the Manhattan nighttime skyline from the Brooklyn Bridge |
I'll talk more about the other exciting stuff tomorrow! Because tonight, it's Mug Monday.
Inspired by the fall weather and the fact that I was going to have guests, I bought a bag of locally grown, gala apples and yum! My inspiration has carried through to finding tasty fall recipes using these apples.
Today I'd like to share a recipe I found for Coffee Cup Upside Down Cake. This recipe originally came from The Wichita Eagle (which made me like it all the more as I went to college 45 minutes from Wichita) and appeared in an article featuring four mug recipes, all of which look pretty delicious.
When I think of Upside Down Cake, I always think of pineapple but I thought that using apple would be a nice tribute to fall and that, likewise, the caramel-y topping would pay a nice tribute to the apples :) I was not disappointed.
Apple Upside Down Mug Cake
2 Tablespoons butter, divided
3 Tablespoons brown sugar, divided
1/2 apple, thinly sliced
1/2 egg
2 Tablespoons milk
Few drops vanilla
1/4 cup flour + 1/4 teaspoon baking powder + 2 shakes salt
(or 1/4 cup self-rising flour)
2 pinches cinnamon
Lay apple slices, 1 tablespoon of the butter, 2 tablespoons brown sugar in the bottom of a coffee mug. Microwave for 1 minute. Using a fork, mix remaining butter with sugar until creamy. Add egg, milk, and vanilla. Add flour and cinnamon and stir until smooth.
Swirl the coffee mug to coat all the apples with the sugary butter mixture. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Pour batter into cup and microwave for 1 minute or until the cake is done.
If you want to actually see the apples and prettiness of this cake, take a small plate and place it upside down on the top of the mug. Holding the plate to the mug, flip them over so that the cake falls onto the plate, apples up.
Yum! Happy Fall, happy Monday, happy baking, happy eating :)
Friday, September 28, 2012
How To Get Sharpie Out of Jeans
We've all been there. One minute you're innocently writing something in permanent marker and the next you're in an all out Sharpie fight with the person next to you: streaking ink across their arms and hands and, invariably, their clothes.
Okay, maybe it doesn't always happen quite like that, in my case it didn't. Nevertheless, at some point you've probably had, or are going to get, permanent marker on your clothes. In my case, it was at work. Although I did receive a streak of black Sharpie on my arm from a co-worker, the stain was my own doing.
You see, we have these meal cards that each customer gets and on which we write the number of guests in a party. We each carry a clickable Sharpie, which makes life much easier than a capped Sharpie, until it goes into your pocket with the marker clicked out :/
Then you end up with a very unattractive, very obvious black splotch. Like this one:
Okay, maybe it doesn't always happen quite like that, in my case it didn't. Nevertheless, at some point you've probably had, or are going to get, permanent marker on your clothes. In my case, it was at work. Although I did receive a streak of black Sharpie on my arm from a co-worker, the stain was my own doing.
You see, we have these meal cards that each customer gets and on which we write the number of guests in a party. We each carry a clickable Sharpie, which makes life much easier than a capped Sharpie, until it goes into your pocket with the marker clicked out :/
Then you end up with a very unattractive, very obvious black splotch. Like this one:
Not good. Especially when I only have 4 pairs of jeans! So, like any 21st century gal, I turned to the internet, searching for a way to remove Sharpie from jeans. And what did I find? Not a lot, honestly. Most said that permanent markers are exactly that and 'good luck' basically. I did find some who suggested rubbing alcohol and nail polish remover and, since I had these supplies on hand, I decided to give it a try.
I should add that I noticed the stain the next morning and immediately doused it with Shout, which I think was a big helper in the stain removal. I would suggest using Shout first, along with the following steps.
I gathered my supplies:
And went to dabbing, in hopes of restoring my jeans to at least wearable condition. I used paper towels, rubbing alcohol, and 100% pure acetone nail polish remover. I think that any nail polish remover would work, I was actually a little worried that this stuff would almost bleach the denim because it's so strong, but it worked just fine and no harm was done.
I used the alcohol first, putting some on a paper towel and dabbing at the stained fabric. The rubbing alcohol then soaks up and removes the black marker from the fabric! I also held another paper towel on the reverse side of the fabric which should definitely be done as it also absorbs a lot of the marker.
The rubbing alcohol had lightened the stain to a purplish color but it was still very noticable. Then I brought in the nail polish remover. Using the same method of dabbing, pressing and slightly rubbing the stain out with a dampened paper towel, I applied the acetone.
After the stain had faded to a light purple (and I was starting to feel a little funny from the fumes :P) I decided it was looking good enough. I then doused both stains with more Shout and threw my jeans in the washer.
If you notice in the beginning picture, there were 2 stains: one at the bottom of my pocket and one on the inside and top of the pocket. As a sort of experiment, I didn't do anything to the top stain. I hadn't put the original Shout on it (because I didn't notice it until I was doing this process) and I barely dabbed at it with the rubbing alcohol or nail polish remover. I did put Shout on it right before it went into the washer, just to see what Shout alone would do. That stain is still there in full force, which is fine because it's inside my pocket and not noticeable.
As for the main stain, it looks much better now! Barely noticeable!
It took some elbow grease and patience but if you get a Sharpie stain on your clothes, I would definitely endorse this method of stain removal.
Thursday, September 27, 2012
Last Day at Resource, First Day Off
Well, this was my last week at Resource. And really I couldn't have asked for a better one!
Monday, I took lunch by myself and walked around DUMBO, taking pictures and checking out the shops. I've done a little exploring around the area but usually with another intern so it was nice to look around leisurely and go into some of the stores where I had only window-shopped before. I really like that area of Brooklyn, of course it's the only area of Brooklyn that I've been to... But it's artsy and picturesque with cobblestone streets and cute shops. It's right by the water and more urban, so I'm told, than the rest of Brooklyn. I'll definitely be returning in the future :)
For my final project, I was creating a directory of businesses to go on the Resource website, entering a lot of information mostly and making sure everything was working and linking properly. I finished that up yesterday morning and then went through a bunch of files that I had, making sure my boss had the most updated versions of some other projects that I had worked on pieces of.
At lunchtime yesterday, four of us went out together. I broke down and got a Philly Cheese Steak sandwich at Bridge Fresh, which was the best I've had here in New York and actually a really great deal. We ate under the Brooklyn Bridge and had some great convo and lots of laughter. It made me a little sad to be leaving the other interns and also kindof wishing that that lunch could be my last, just because I enjoyed it so much.
Then, around 5, I got my wish! We all got an email saying that the office would be closed today and everyone was just to work remotely (from home). Since I had finished up what I was doing and my superior was on a photo shoot today and yesterday, I was done! We all left the office at the same time and I said goodbye to the interns as the walk over and subway allowed. By the time we were actually on the train it was just Janet and I, and with the promise of visiting and getting coffee soon, we also parted as I transferred trains at W 4th Street.
Thus ended my time at Resource. Although there were ups and downs, I can honestly say it was an awesome experience! I learned a lot, had some great experiences, met a lot of cool people, and even made some friends through the whole thing. There was no grand exit, there never is, but I still had a pretty perfect last day. Had the office been open today, Janet and I both admitted we had planned to bring in cookies and maybe there would have been a little more recognition of the fact that someone was leaving. But I think that the way it worked out was for the best. Especially because it gave me a day off today. Which there is no way I would complain about!
Today was my first day off in 3 1/2 weeks!! It was a much-needed day to sleep in and get some stuff done around my apartment. I made banana bread-muffins, did laundry, tried some new mug recipes (get excited for next Monday!!) and did quite a bit of cleaning. All in a leisurely fashion of course with plenty of Pinterest distractions, of course :)
It's strange to think that it's over-- the very reason that I moved to New York. Now more than ever I wonder, what's next?! Only time will tell... but hopefully by the end of this week I'll know better :)
Monday, I took lunch by myself and walked around DUMBO, taking pictures and checking out the shops. I've done a little exploring around the area but usually with another intern so it was nice to look around leisurely and go into some of the stores where I had only window-shopped before. I really like that area of Brooklyn, of course it's the only area of Brooklyn that I've been to... But it's artsy and picturesque with cobblestone streets and cute shops. It's right by the water and more urban, so I'm told, than the rest of Brooklyn. I'll definitely be returning in the future :)
For my final project, I was creating a directory of businesses to go on the Resource website, entering a lot of information mostly and making sure everything was working and linking properly. I finished that up yesterday morning and then went through a bunch of files that I had, making sure my boss had the most updated versions of some other projects that I had worked on pieces of.
At lunchtime yesterday, four of us went out together. I broke down and got a Philly Cheese Steak sandwich at Bridge Fresh, which was the best I've had here in New York and actually a really great deal. We ate under the Brooklyn Bridge and had some great convo and lots of laughter. It made me a little sad to be leaving the other interns and also kindof wishing that that lunch could be my last, just because I enjoyed it so much.
Thus ended my time at Resource. Although there were ups and downs, I can honestly say it was an awesome experience! I learned a lot, had some great experiences, met a lot of cool people, and even made some friends through the whole thing. There was no grand exit, there never is, but I still had a pretty perfect last day. Had the office been open today, Janet and I both admitted we had planned to bring in cookies and maybe there would have been a little more recognition of the fact that someone was leaving. But I think that the way it worked out was for the best. Especially because it gave me a day off today. Which there is no way I would complain about!
Today was my first day off in 3 1/2 weeks!! It was a much-needed day to sleep in and get some stuff done around my apartment. I made banana bread-muffins, did laundry, tried some new mug recipes (get excited for next Monday!!) and did quite a bit of cleaning. All in a leisurely fashion of course with plenty of Pinterest distractions, of course :)
It's strange to think that it's over-- the very reason that I moved to New York. Now more than ever I wonder, what's next?! Only time will tell... but hopefully by the end of this week I'll know better :)
Monday, September 24, 2012
Jumping On The Bandwagon, Mug in Hand
Welcome to Coffee Mug Mondays! (name pending...)
Here's the thing, I LOVE this new craze of mug recipes! If you don't know what I'm talking about it's like this: you take a regular old coffee mug, add a few ingredients, throw it in the microwave for a few minutes and voila! Some awesome creation that, up until now, we've always needed an oven/stovetop/a lot more time to make! The recipes are usually single-serving and I have yet to find one I don't like.
Basically, mug recipes are perfect for this single girl with limited access to an oven and a schedule that usually results in arriving home real hungry. It also means I might need to buy more mugs...
I've decided to share the love, the love for these super simple, single-serving mug recipes. And because I love alliteration (words starting with the same letter or sound) and because I already shared my recipe for a chocolate chip cookie in a mug last Monday, I've decided that every Monday I'll share a proven-delicious mug recipe.
Today's recipe is one that I came up with on my own. Pasta has become a staple for me, being relatively cheap, versatile, and easily making enough for leftovers. I stocked up on some basic cooking/baking ingredients before moving to New York (meaning that my parents bought me a bunch of food so that I wouldn't starve right away) and then set to work figuring out how to combine them into palette pleasers.
This recipe is seriously one of my new favorites--it's so flavorful and I always have the ingredients on hand. Sometimes I'll add mozzarella cheese or tomatoes (as I did tonight) depending on what's in my fridge. Tonight was the first time I really tried cooking pasta in the microwave and it worked great! So much faster than over my little hot plate, and it was a lot easier to make the right amount.
Place the pasta, water, and salt in a mug and microwave for 4-5 minutes or until pasta is cooked through. Drain the pasta and add the butter. Stir to melt the butter and keep the pasta from sticking together. Add the remaining ingredients and enjoy!
Hope you enjoy this pasta as much as I do! And check back next Monday for another delicious mug recipe!
Here's the thing, I LOVE this new craze of mug recipes! If you don't know what I'm talking about it's like this: you take a regular old coffee mug, add a few ingredients, throw it in the microwave for a few minutes and voila! Some awesome creation that, up until now, we've always needed an oven/stovetop/a lot more time to make! The recipes are usually single-serving and I have yet to find one I don't like.
Basically, mug recipes are perfect for this single girl with limited access to an oven and a schedule that usually results in arriving home real hungry. It also means I might need to buy more mugs...
I've decided to share the love, the love for these super simple, single-serving mug recipes. And because I love alliteration (words starting with the same letter or sound) and because I already shared my recipe for a chocolate chip cookie in a mug last Monday, I've decided that every Monday I'll share a proven-delicious mug recipe.
Today's recipe is one that I came up with on my own. Pasta has become a staple for me, being relatively cheap, versatile, and easily making enough for leftovers. I stocked up on some basic cooking/baking ingredients before moving to New York (meaning that my parents bought me a bunch of food so that I wouldn't starve right away) and then set to work figuring out how to combine them into palette pleasers.
This recipe is seriously one of my new favorites--it's so flavorful and I always have the ingredients on hand. Sometimes I'll add mozzarella cheese or tomatoes (as I did tonight) depending on what's in my fridge. Tonight was the first time I really tried cooking pasta in the microwave and it worked great! So much faster than over my little hot plate, and it was a lot easier to make the right amount.
Umm, Yum! Pasta
1 serving of your favorite pasta (I used 2/3 cup of rotini)
Enough water to cover the pasta (I used about a cup but it boiled over a lot)
A dash of salt
1/2 TBSP butter
1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
1 1/2 teaspoon parmesan cheese
1 Tablespoon fresh chopped tomato (optional)
Place the pasta, water, and salt in a mug and microwave for 4-5 minutes or until pasta is cooked through. Drain the pasta and add the butter. Stir to melt the butter and keep the pasta from sticking together. Add the remaining ingredients and enjoy!
 |
| Every bite is so flavorful~ it will be gone before you know it! |
Hope you enjoy this pasta as much as I do! And check back next Monday for another delicious mug recipe!
Sunday, September 23, 2012
Song of the Week
Hi All!
It's been a busy weekend with some exciting stuff happening!! I'll update on that later, for now I just wanted to share the song that has been my obsession this week. Each week I seem to have a new song that I just can't get enough of and listen to over and over. As I discover new music, the songs get replaced but this has been my jam this last week.
Primadonna by Marina and The Diamonds
At first her voice reminded me too much of Katy Perry but as I found the catchy tune stuck in my head more and more throughout the day I listened to it over and over and came to love it :)
Fall Is In The Air
Can you feel Fall in the air? Maybe it's just me but there's something thrilling about the start of a new season. And having only experienced summer so far in New York I'm excited to be here for another season.
I am a very sensory person and perhaps it's my creativity or my being whimsical, but I have strong connections between the senses and pretty much anything (as you may have noticed from my Rainy Day Music post). Or maybe everyone is that way, I'm not sure because I'm not everyone :)
Walking back from lunch one day last week, I commented on how "Fall" the day felt. Pointing out the cooler temperatures, light breeze, the golden sheen to the sunlight, and how it even smelled like Fall. Or at least what I guess Fall smells like in the city, not quite the same as Fall in West Liberty...
Anyways, there are plenty of things associated with Autumn in most peoples' minds: pumpkin flavored everything, desserts consisting of apple and cinnamon, leaf piles, hay rides, going back to school (so strange for me not to be doing this year) breaking out the sweatshirts and jeans, Halloween, apple cider, pumpkin carving... And football.
Football has always been a big part of fall for me, which I didn't really think about until I went to college. Friday nights without a football game just seemed empty and sad. And it's not that I'm even a huge football fan. I understand it well enough to get by but there's no way I could have an in-depth conversation about it, or even watch an entire game intently. Nonetheless, I had been going to football games most of my life, thanks to my dad being a high school football coach for most of my life. Then, in high school, I was in marching band and the flag corps so I was at every game.
Working at Hill Country on Saturdays reminds me of being at home for college football games. Of course it's the Texans or Longhorns or Cowboys playing instead of the Buckeyes, and it's multiple people, drinking and cheering, rather than just my dad, who still probably cheers and hollers about as loud as any of the guys at the restaurant. It's amazing how these little things, just being around guys excited for the sport, yelling for and at their team, can take you to a whole different place while reminding you of the time (season) you're in.
Overall I guess the point of this post is to point out how certain things will always be associated with certain times. In this case there are many, many, many elements that prove to me that it is indeed Fall, some are sensory--golden light, chill in the breeze, scent of apple-cinnamon--while others are memory or tradition-based--carving pumpkins, watching football. I never really thought of football as a big part of my life and yet, mostly thanks to my dad, it was a huge part of my life as well as an identifier of Autumn for me.
I am a very sensory person and perhaps it's my creativity or my being whimsical, but I have strong connections between the senses and pretty much anything (as you may have noticed from my Rainy Day Music post). Or maybe everyone is that way, I'm not sure because I'm not everyone :)
Walking back from lunch one day last week, I commented on how "Fall" the day felt. Pointing out the cooler temperatures, light breeze, the golden sheen to the sunlight, and how it even smelled like Fall. Or at least what I guess Fall smells like in the city, not quite the same as Fall in West Liberty...
 |
| The results of some teamwork pumpkin carving last fall |
Football has always been a big part of fall for me, which I didn't really think about until I went to college. Friday nights without a football game just seemed empty and sad. And it's not that I'm even a huge football fan. I understand it well enough to get by but there's no way I could have an in-depth conversation about it, or even watch an entire game intently. Nonetheless, I had been going to football games most of my life, thanks to my dad being a high school football coach for most of my life. Then, in high school, I was in marching band and the flag corps so I was at every game.
 |
| Senior year flag corps 2010 |
Working at Hill Country on Saturdays reminds me of being at home for college football games. Of course it's the Texans or Longhorns or Cowboys playing instead of the Buckeyes, and it's multiple people, drinking and cheering, rather than just my dad, who still probably cheers and hollers about as loud as any of the guys at the restaurant. It's amazing how these little things, just being around guys excited for the sport, yelling for and at their team, can take you to a whole different place while reminding you of the time (season) you're in.
Overall I guess the point of this post is to point out how certain things will always be associated with certain times. In this case there are many, many, many elements that prove to me that it is indeed Fall, some are sensory--golden light, chill in the breeze, scent of apple-cinnamon--while others are memory or tradition-based--carving pumpkins, watching football. I never really thought of football as a big part of my life and yet, mostly thanks to my dad, it was a huge part of my life as well as an identifier of Autumn for me.
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