Balls & Talons

As you can see above, I got my test back last night. I made an 86.4, which I think is a B+. Right? Anyway, it's definitely a lower grade than I was hoping for, but I guess it could have been worse. The 2 people that sit next to me made A's. Clearly, I need to study with them next time.

Last night I watched an episode of Ellen that TiVo recorded for me. Heidi Klum was the guest. Does everyone have a girl crush on Heidi Klum, or is it just me? I love her & I love her new hair cut. Well, on Ellen she made her infamous "balls". I think they were actually meatballs, but Heidi kept referring to them as her balls. It was really funny.

Then, of course, Project Runway came on last night as well. I'm so glad Rami won. I like Chris, but that human hair thing was bizarre. Rami definitely deserved to win. Can't wait to see their show at Fashion Week. I'm a pretty big fan of Christian's, but I honestly don't know which one of them will win. It'll be interesting to watch.

Yesterday I ate like I was going into hibernation. I ate a bowl of oatmeal at home before I went to work, then when I got to work they were giving away free ham biscuits, so I ate 1 of those. I was so full, I was determined not to eat lunch. Then my boss called & said he wasn't coming in, so I decided I should take advantage of actually being able to eat lunch for a change & I called my friend Holly & we went to Indian Buffet. So within 4 hours, I ate 2 breakfasts & Indian Buffet. When I got back from lunch I told my intern that if I had 1 wish it would be to grow talons so that I could rip my stomach open & empty out everything I just ate. He looked at me like I was crazy. Later, when I re-told the story to John, I got the same look. Apparently, there's nothing funny about the mental image of me ripping my stomach apart with finger/talons. Who knew?

Snow Day!!!

I wish they closed "work" when they close schools. I mean every school in TN is closed today. How am I supposed to get any work done today knowing that? I should be at home watching Ellen & eating Thin Mints. Stupid Snowbird....

P.S. The Mercedes isn't mine.

Did anyone else watch Biggest Loser last night? If not, here's a quick wrap-up: what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas; PRIDE; crying; more crying; still more crying; seriously, who cries that much.

Allright, I've got to finish getting ready for work. Enjoy the snow. Build a snowman (or a snowwoman if you live in Vermont).

The Italian Market

We ate dinner at The Italian Market Sat night. I've wanted to eat there for awhile, but keep forgetting about it because of where it's located. It's off Charlotte Pk, on 51st Ave N, kind of under the interstate. Anyway, here's a breakdown of my dining experience:

Pro: food was really good
Pro: dessert was also really good
Pro: can bring your own wine
Pro: don't have to wait for a table

Con: no dinner menu, you order off a specials board
Con: pricey -most entrees were around $20
Con: no server -you order at a counter & they bring your food to you, but no drink refills or anything

I would definitely go back because the food was so good, but John didn't like the no server thing. When we needed a refill we had to go back into the "market" & buy another coke, beer, etc.

While we were there I checked out the lunch menu & I definitely want to try them for lunch. They had a very enticing sandwich & pizza menu. Jessica has eaten lunch there & said the sandwiches are good & they're huge -easily 2 meals in 1. I'm so there.

http://www.theitalianmarket.net/

"Hold on to your f*^@ing hat"

I'm going to make this quick because the red carpet coverage is on. Two things:

1) Last night's SNL was effing hilarious. Did everyone see the Annuale birth control commercial at the top of the show? If not, it's totally worth the next 2 minutes of your life:

http://www.nbc.com/Saturday_Night_Live/video/#cat=new&sec=1a&mea=221774

2) My friend Jessica (aka the orange bicycle) made me this tres chic zipper pouch (see above). She has great taste in fabrics. Check out her Etsy store:

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5341054

I have very crafty friends. My BFF Carolyn has a great Etsy store, too:

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=80081

Allright, got to get back to the Oscars. John Stewart is on. Shalom, bitches.

Ommm...

I woke up at 6:30 this morning & watched 3 episodes of The Sopranos (I'm working my way through the last season). Then I ate a bowl of oatmeal & decided to go to yoga. I took a 90 minute class at the Green Hills Y. I was afraid 90 minutes would be way too long, but it really wasn't. I enjoyed it. When I lived in NYC, I took 1-2 yoga classes a week. I'd like to do that now, but just can't seem to find the time. I'm really interested in Hot Yoga, but can't tack on another fitness expense on top of the ridiculous amount I already pay to the Y every month.

Tonight we're going to dinner with John's old college roommate Keith & his wife Nicole. SNL comes back on tonight, so I'd like to be back home in time to watch that. I got American Gangster in the mail today, which I'd also like to watch. Who am I kidding? I'll carb-load at dinner (we're going to Maggiano's) & fall asleep before 10:00pm.

Working for the Weekend

Last night I saw the movie Persepolis with Natalie. I had heard it was good & it was. I think Natalie & I both identified with the main character, especially when she was a little girl. The middle of the movie got a little long, but the beginning & the end were really good. I definitely recommend it, though you should go fast because I think Green Hills is about to get rid of it.

Speaking of last chance movies. The Belcourt has The Diving Bell & the Butterfly. I think it's been there all month. I've been meaning to see it, but haven't yet. I guess I need to ASAP before it disappears, too.

No big weekend plans. John & I are going to red meat fest tonight with Jason & Cheryl. John, of course, LOVES Ted's Montana Grill. I like it, I mean the burgers are good, but... it's a lot of meat & it always takes me forever to decide which of the 30 burgers I'm going to order.

The Oscars are Sunday night. Definitely going to watch those. Very curious as to how No Country for Old Men & There Will Be Blood will do. And Juno, too. I really liked that movie. Bought the soundtrack last weekend & have been enjoying it all week.

Allright, I'm off to eat a 3lb bison burger. Happy Friday night!

Short Essay -the work of the devil!

The test was harder than I expected. I studied a lot & felt pretty prepared, but I don't think I did very well. There were 3 pages of short essay questions. Short essay questions are the devil's handiwork. Hopefully I did better than I think. Guess I'll find out next week...

We got to leave as soon as we finished the test, so I was home by 6:00. I made myself a very Weight Watchers-friendly dinner of grilled fish, brussels sprouts & wild rice. That's right bitches, brussels sprouts. I wasn't in the mood for TiVo, so I watched a movie that I've had for about a month now, 2 Days in Paris. It was pretty good. Weird, but good.

To reward myself for living through my 1st graduate level exam, I ate a sleeve of Thin Mints. I weighed myself this morning. I've gained 2 lbs since last week. Coincidentally, I've eaten 2.5 boxes of Girl Scout cookies in the past 7 days. Interesting correlation.....

1st Exam

The 1st exam in my class is tomorrow night. Aside from taking the LSAT last year, this is quite possibly the 1st test I've taken since the late 90's... I'm nervous. It doesn't help that I have no idea what to expect. I've read all the assigned readings & gone over all my notes. Hopefully I'll do okay.

Quick weekend re-count, then I've got to get back to studying.

Friday night: margs & fajitas @ Rosepepper with Carolyn, Ashlee & Erika

Saturday: Ashlee put a moisturizing treatment on my hair (apparently my $3 drugstore shampoo is drying out my hair, so much for trying to be thrifty...) & then shopping with Carolyn

Saturday night: dinner @ Chinatown, then over to the East side to watch some fight on Pay-Per-View that we didn't even stay long enough to watch

Sunday: lunch with my parents, Maltese Falcon @ Belcourt & then dinner @ Cinco with Adam & Sarah

Monday: office closed for President's Day -TiVo, study, run to Target, buy cute whale pajama pants, study, TiVo, eat Thin Mints, work out, study, eat more Thin Mints, sleep

Beef Jerky & Dream Mousse Blush

I had a really good Valentine's. I gave up chocolate for Lent, so I awoke yesterday to a card with a mule on it & a big bag of beef jerky. Last year I got a taxidermy squirrel & this year I got big-girl bras & beef jerky. I'm not sure what this says about our relationship, but I'm happy.

Totally switching gears. Let's talk about drugstore makeup. I'm a fan. I actually wear a lot of higher-end makeup, i.e. foundation, concealor, etc. But when it comes to the fun stuff, I'm going to Target. I think my love affair with makeup started when I moved to NYC & discovered Sephora. We used to go in every Sat afternoon & get all dolled up before hitting the bars. Ahh, to be 24 again....

Last year, on a whim, I bought this Maybelline Dream Mousse blush. I loved it & it lasted a year. When I ran dry I asked around & surprisingly all my friends still wear Orgasm by NARS. At the time, I couldn't get to Sephora, so I bought this generic Cover Girl version. Ehh, not so much. So last weekend, I went back to Target & bought another pot of Maybelline. I LOVE it. That shit stays on ALL day. And it's better for my almost reptilian-like dry skin.

While I was at Target, I also bought some new mascara. I've never worn Cover Girl mascara, but they had this big display & you know how hard it is to turn down Queen Latifah.... It's called Lash Blast & it's in a big orange tube. I really like it. And it's cheap; it was like $6. L'Oreal Voluminous, you may have lost my business....

Breast Fest

Back in October, I found a lump in my breast. It turned out to be nothing. Well, not nothing, it's a fibroadema, but it's not cancer. My 3-month follow up was last Friday. Let me just say, if you're ever in a position to need such care, the Center for Breast Health @ St. Thomas is outstanding. Anyway, everything is fine. The lump is still there, minding its own business, not bothering anything. I go back in 6 months & then will go once a year for follow up, which apparently you're supposed to do every year after the age of 35 anyway.

Now if you thought that was too much information, just wait... Since I've lost so much weight, I've been in dire need of new bras. My generous boyfriend offered to buy me some for Valentine's Day. On Saturday, we went to Rebecka Vaughn in Green Hills so I could be fitted properly. I won't scare you with the difference between the size I've been wearing & the size I actually am, but trust me, it's astounding. Long story short, I am now the proud new owner of 3 properly fitting braziers.

I've heard many of my girlfriends say how much they want/need to be properly fitted because they're pretty sure they're in the wrong size. Let me tell you, you probably are. I was afraid Rebecka Vaughn would be "uppity", but it really wasn't. Granted, the bras aren't cheap & there's not a huge selection, but the service is worth the trip. The sales associate who helped me was fantastic. I was worried at first because she was clearly very young, but girlfriend knew her shit. If you go, ask for Sydney. She's awesome.

http://rebeckavaughan.com/

Book Review, part deux

I finally finished The Kite Runner. Loved, loved, loved it. Cannot wait to see the movie! For all 3 of you who have not already read it, I HIGHLY recommend it. I got his second book, A Thousand Splendid Suns, for Christmas & will probably start that this weekend. My friend Tiffany said it's even better than Kite Runner.

Here's the Amazon link if anyone's interested:

http://www.amazon.com/Kite-Runner-Khaled-Hosseini/dp/1594480001/ref=pd_bbs_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1202394688&sr=1-2

Happy reading!

Stop! It's taco time!

I hope you all got my MC Hammer reference... Atlanta was a lot of fun. I think the best part was lunch on Saturday. Carolyn took us to this taco place called Taqueria del Sol. So good. I ate like a bear. I ordered three tacos & then Carolyn & I split a fourth. I ordered: Memphis, Fried Chicken, Veggie & then we shared the taco of the day, a fried shrimp with habanero mayo. I think the fried chicken was my favorite (big surprise). The fried shrimp was good, but too much mayo. The veggie was surprisingly good. I think the Memphis was my least fav, but still good. I'll definitely go back next time I'm in Atlanta.

http://www.taqueriadelsol.com/lunch.htm

Everytime I go to Atlanta I get a flat tire. This time was no different. Driving to work this morning, I heard something, sounded like a branch caught under my car. No, it was a flat tire. So I took my car to Firestone & they just called & said the tire can't be fixed (of course) & that it's completely bald & needs to be replaced. How is it that every time I get a flat I somehow end up buying new tires???

Today is Super Tuesday. Luckily I early-voted last week since I'm without car today. I'm very interested to see what happens & who ends up winning Tennessee. Hopefully the results will come in before I go to bed.

In closing, is anyone else concerned that it's 70 degrees outside today......

Hotlanta!

After work today, I'm driving to Atlanta with Carolyn & Jessica. We're staying in Carolyn's brother-in-law's house (they're out of town). David is out of town & John's busy in the studio, so it seemed like a good time to get some shopping in. It'll be nice to get out of town. This was a long, crappy week. Urban Outfitters, here I come!

I finally got around to uploading the pictures from Lake Fever's 8 off 8th thing Monday night. Here's the Flickr link:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/16828091@N04/sets/72157603831682845/

Also, Joe uploaded some of the videos to YouTube. Here's that link:

http://youtube.com/indieghetto

Happy weekend!