Dear Santa,

Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk: A Modest Bestiary by David Sedaris, $10

Madewell Colorblock Bangle in Parakeet, $12

Simple Times: Crafts for Poor People by Amy Sedaris, $14

Decoded by Jay-Z, $18

Cast Iron Horse Hook, Monkey & Squirrel via Etsy, $18

2011 Bunny Calendar, The Paper Thieves via Etsy $25

Kaleidoscope Felt Collage Necklace, Homako via Etsy $28

Spice of Life Cardigan, Modcloth, $42

Juliet Tote in Dark Blue Denim, Christy Studio via Etsy $42

Canvas Women's Classics in Olive, Tom's, $44

Zoe Statement Multichain, White Owl via Etsy, $48

Autumn Wheat Dress, Modcloth, $67

Twilight Cardigan in Heather Medium Grey, Madewell, $72

Dinner Party Cardigan in Golden Olive, Madewell, $78

Nightfall Cardigan in Grizzly Brown, Madewell, $82

This year I've asked for a lot of stuff I need, e.g. an immersion blender & running tights, so I thought I'd compile a list of stuff I don't need & can't afford. Thank you for taunting me, Madewell.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas....

Book Review: How Did You Get This Number

How Did You Get This Number is the second book by Sloane Crosley. It's similar to her first book in that it's a collection of essays & short stories about her life in NYC. Here's the blurb from Amazon/Publisher's Weekly:

Nine thoughtful, unfussy essays that navigate around illusions of youth in the hope that by young adulthood they'll all add up to happiness. The account of Crosley's footloose adventure to Lisbon on the eve of her 30th birthday starts things off in rollicking fashion in Show Me on the Doll: without proficient language skills, getting hopelessly lost in the labyrinth of Bairro Alto, and panicking in front of the myriad QVC channels offered by her hotel, Crosley recognizes that Lisbon was a place with a painfully disproportionate self-reflection-to-experience ratio. There is the requisite essay about moving to New York and replacing her anorexic-kleptomaniac roommate with a more acceptable living arrangement: in Crosley's case, delineated in Take a Stab at It, she is interviewed by the creepily disembodied current occupier of a famous former brothel on the Bowery, McGurk's Suicide Hall. As well, Crosley delivers witty, syncopated takes on visiting Alaska and Paris, and finding much consolation from a two-timing heartbreak in New York by buying stolen items from her upholstery guy, Daryl, who found them fallen Off the Back of a Truck, as the delightful last selection is titled. These essays are fresh, funny, and eager to be loved.

She's a very funny writer & if you liked her first book, you'll assuredly enjoy this one as well. If you've ever lived in NYC, you'll identify with a lot of her stories. You'll also find yourself wondering why in the world you haven't written a book yet, especially if you're unemployed & currently doing absolutely nothing all day....

P.S. If any of you want to borrow either of Sloane's books, I have both.

Weekend Wrap Up

Friday:

I got up early & met MK for a very cold recovery run, then we met MHG at Pancake Pantry for breakfast. On the way home, I took a detour through the West Nashville Shopping Center, just to see what the crowds were like & ended up in Old Navy, where I bought what I'm calling my 'Tiffany Tomlin outfit': black skinny jeans with a red & white checked shirt. I also bought a pair of $5 pajama pants, because, HELLO, they were $5.

That night, as we were deciding what to do for dinner, Ashlee texted & said she & Jeff were around the corner, so we met them for dinner at Sonobana. I see Ashlee all the time, but it was nice to catch up as a foursome.

Saturday:

I got up Saturday morning & went to Spin at the Downtown Y. I used to go to that class all the time, but I quit awhile back because I don't love the instructor. Yeah, she still sucks. I actually almost got up & left in the middle of the class. She started the class by telling us she was going to "take it easy today". Yeah, because that's why we're all in there post-Thanksgiving, to 'take it easy'. I had easily 6 pieces of pie to burn off. She had us work on our endurance by staying at a constant 4 (out of 10) for the whole class. No speed, no standing. Complete waste of time. I could have burned more calories shopping.

Saturday night we went to dinner with Matt & Lacey, who recently got married. They recommended Woodlands Indian Vegetarian Cuisine. I was excited because I've wanted to eat there for years, but I was worried about what in the world my carnivore husband would eat. It was so good! I don't even think John noticed there was no meat on his plate. If you go, & you should, order #48, the Woodlands Special Rava Masala dosa. OMG! Best thing EVER.

Sunday:

The check engine light in my car came on over the weekend. Of course it did. So I spent $150 for Firestone to change my oil & tell me my gas cap was loose. I wish I was kidding. I spent the rest of the day putting up all of our Christmas decorations & watching Fa La La La Lifetime.

Thanksgiving Wrap Up

As I've mentioned, I was really excited about Thanksgiving this year. On Wednesday, I got up early & went to the grocery store before the rain & crowds hit. Then I came home & pretty much spent all day in the kitchen. I made my Granny's recipe for pumpkin pie, Delaney's recipe for 7-layer salad & baked cheese grits. I had to make everything on Wednesday because on Thursday, I was getting up to run & then going straight to my Aunt's house for Thanksgiving.

I've surprisingly never made pumpkin pie. My Granny's recipe is a little different than the traditional Libby's recipe, which somehow makes it way better. My mom warned me that most of our family doesn't really like pumpkin pie, but both pies were devoured, so I must have done something right. Thanks, Granny!

I make the salad for my dad, who's obsessed with walking around, looking at everyone's plate & making sure they know how many complex carbohydrates they're consuming & how long they'll need to work-out afterwards. You're welcome, cousins.

I'm kind of over the baked cheese grits, but my family keeps requesting them, so I keep making them. I'm not one to deny the public their starch.

In an effort to offset everything I planned on eating that day, I signed up to run the Boulevard Bolt, a 5 mile run up & down Belle Meade Boulevard Thursday morning. Over 8,000 people registered, so to say it was crowded, is an understatement. I astoundingly found Ashlee & Mary Katherine & we made our way up front to the start line. My goal was to finish, to not stop & walk & to do it in under an hour, which I did. I ran the whole 5 miles in 54 minutes & I came in 77th in my age group. I'm pretty proud of myself.

I was starving by the time I got to my Aunt's house, so I made a beeline for the sausage balls & easily ate about 20 in two bites. Aside from that, I really tried to rein it in. I only ate one plate of food & two slices of pie. I'll tell you what, starting the day running 5 miles, really helps you keep it in perspective. Now if I can just keep it up for the next month & not gain my usual 5-10 lbs of holiday weight.

Happy Thanksgiving!

I Passed!

Mon, Nov 22, 2010 at 2:25 PM

Dear MPA Student,

If you are receiving this email it means that you successfully passed the MPA comprehensive exam. Congratulations!!!!

Dr. xxxxxxx

I passed! I opted to take this test in lieu of writing a thesis. Me, my friend Jessica & our friend Emily studied for this test three times a week for about three months. It was intense, but we all three passed. Jessica, bless her heart, broke her wrist (yes, the one she writes with) three days before the test & took it one-handed. One-handed!

This means I'm clear to graduate in December. I still have to finish & pass the class I'm in now, which ends on December 14th. The graduation (that I'm not participating in) is December 18th. I'm less than a month away. After three long years, I am so ready to be done with this.

!!!

Weekend Wrap Up

View from our living room

Friday:

I got up early & did the pancake run with my friend Heidi. We're both a little bored with the route, so we ran it in reverse. Much better! I also ran it a lot faster than I usually do. I wanted Heidi to run at her normal pace & to try & keep up with her. I couldn't completely keep up with her, but I ran the 3.2 miles in like 31 minutes, which is the fastest I've ever run. I totally went ham. Go, me!

Heidi works at lululemon & they were hosting a free yoga class at Steadfast & True Yoga Studio in Edgehill Village Friday night, so I met her there. Way more people showed up than there was room for, so they set us up "LA style," which means mat-to-mat. It was cozy, ha ha. And it was hot. Really hot. Like 'hot yoga' hot. My hands & feet were sliding all over the place, but I had a blast & I easily sweated out a good 5 lbs. Plus, they gave us free margaritas afterwards. Hello! Totally worth it.

Saturday:

I had an early morning appointment at Trim to get my hair highlighted. It seems a little ridiculous to be worried about money, etc. & then to go get $100 highlights, but hey, nothing feeds depression like bad roots. I see it as an investment in my mental health. Plus, two hours with Gio is better than any anti-depressant on the market.

With hair way too fancy for Rutherford County, I made the trek to Smyrna to meet my mom at Kohl's for some early Christmas shopping & lunch. In a day where I did nothing but spend money I don't have, I kind of hit the jackpot at Kohl's. Post forthcoming.

John is super busy with mastering & needed to work on Saturday night, (hey, I'm not complaining - someone's got to pay for all this personal maintenance) so we walked next door & had dinner at Korea House. Love that place!

Sunday:

Yesterday we met Megan & Will in Green Hills to see Harry Potter. I made Megan read the books last year, so it made sense to also make her see the movie with me. I loved it, although it's kind of strange to only see the first half of the movie & then wait 8 months to see the second half. It's like taking a really long nap in the middle of the movie. Regardless, it was really good. Highly recommend reading these books for those of you who are still holding out. You know who you are...

The Real Housewives of Galt's Gulch

Upon a recent trip to McKay Books, I got roped into an interesting conversation while standing in line to check out. I was sandwiched between two women. One woman looked batshit crazy. She had purple streaks in her hair & had all these bizarre, unheard of CDs in her basket. The other woman looked completely normal, cute hair, cute glasses & had Atlas Shrugged & The Fountainhead in her basket. I, or rather, one of the books in my stack, was the catalyst that brought these two women together.

Quick side note for any non-Southern readers: it's very normal to be standing in line & have someone size up your purchases & comment on them. For instance, "Ooh, that sweater is cute. Is it on sale?" "Yes, I found it in the back." "Did they have any Mediums?" "Yes, I think so." "Oh, good. I'm going to go grab one. Will you hold my place in line?" Seriously, all the time.

So I'm standing in line & at the top of my stack of books is Outlander by Diana Gabaldon. This book has been recommended to me about 100 times over, so when I saw it, I snatched it up. All I remember about it is that it's part historical fiction, part soft-core porn. What's not to love, right?

The normal looking woman, who's standing behind me, sees Outlander, asks if I've read it & tells me it's one of her favorite books. 'Ole Purple Hair, standing in front of me, turns around to see what book we're talking about, says it's one of her favorite books, too & then tells us she read it on her honeymoon. Of course she did.

There's a quick conversation about the other 10+ books in the Outlander series & how the first one is the best, etc. Exhausting her opinions on Outlander, 'Ole Purple Hair turns to the normal looking woman's basket, sees the two Ayn Rand books & asks if she has read them before. She says she has, but it's been awhile & she wants to re-read them. I tell them that they're my husband's favorite books & that he re-reads them every couple of years. 'Ole Purple Hair tells us that she tried to read Atlas Shrugged, got about a 100 pages in & gave up. She pontificates for a few minutes about whether or not she's smart enough to read these books. The normal looking woman & I share a knowing look that says, 'No, no you're not.' It was at that moment that 'Ole Purple Hair says, "Well, you know, I was reading it & it was so hard & then I said, 'I'll just wait & watch the movie when it comes out'."

The normal looking woman & I exchange yet another knowing look that says, 'Who in the hell is going to make a movie out of Atlas Shrugged?' We pay for our purchases & go our separate ways. I immediately call John to relay this ridiculous exchange, knowing that he'll die at the "I'll just wait & watch the movie" comment, which he does, of course.

Well, the joke's on me because before writing this, I thought I better make sure someone's not actually making a movie of Atlas Shrugged.... Yeah, someone totally is. And it's not Lifetime or Hallmark either. It's a $15,000,000 movie starring Taylor Schilling & Paul Johansson coming out in 2011. Touche, 'Ole Purple Hair. Touche...

Thanksgiving Magazine Roundup

I'm really into Thanksgiving this year. My friend Tiffany is hosting her boyfriend's family for Thanksgiving next week, so we've been emailing back & forth about various Thanksgiving topics, e.g. turkey tips (thank you, Delaney!), dining room table purchases, recipes, etc. Tiffany is excited about hosting, but also a little stressed as she & Chris live in NYC & even though they have a good sized apartment, NYC apartments aren't exactly conducive to hosting Thanksgiving dinner for a large family.

As soon as Tiffany told me the news, I ran down the street to Target & bought the November issue of Real Simple & mailed it to her because it's all about Thanksgiving, including a day before & day of timeline, cooking tips, decorating tips & recipes. I subscribe to Real Simple, so I already had one, but I bought myself the November issue of Southern Living because sometimes you should just buy Southern Living, especially when there's pie on the cover.

Here are some of the pages I flagged from these two magazines.

I circled the middle recipe on this page for sweet & spicy nuts. Brown sugar, paprika & cayenne pepper? Sign me up!

My subconscious clearly wants me to make a cheesecake as I keep flagging recipes in both magazines & in Reader. I've also been peppering Katie with how-to questions. I have a feeling there's going to be a cheesecake in my immediate future. I just have to wrap my mind around this "water bath" thing...

See! How could you walk by this cover & not buy this magazine? "Heartwarming recipes to savor & share." Indeed.

My friend Lauren told me about this Fun Girls' Lunch part of the magazine & how she wants to make everything in it. So do I! Hello, latina lasagna, green beans with garlic & Mexican chocolate pound cake!

Warm lemon-rosemary olives, leafy green salad with pears & latina lasagna

Mexican chocolate pound cake with Mexican chocolate sauce

I love this: Casual Texas Thanksgiving, or as I call it, I Wish I Lived in Dillon, Texas Thanksgiving. I also applaud Southern Living's attempt at attracting a younger demographic by including a guy with a mustache in this picture. Unfortunately, they missed the mark as this guy looks more like a pedophile than a PBR swilling hipster, but kudos for trying.

Citrus-walnut salad with cumin-dijon vinaigrette, roasted green beans with sun-dried tomatoes & chipotle smashed sweet potatoes. I'm really excited about those potatoes.

The pie from the cover: sweet potato pie with marshmallow meringue. Meringue intimidates me, but I want to make this. And eat it. Seriously, I'll eat the whole pie.

Well, if I'm going to eat an entire pie, I should probably cut back somewhere, like this recipe for a healthier version of sweet potato casserole. Duly noted.

I'd love to host a Thanksgiving dinner myself. There's a million different reasons why this will probably never happen, but maybe I could host a small Thanksgiving themed dinner party instead. I wish we had a bigger dining room table, although nothing says "Thanksgiving" like eating from TV trays. Hmmm, something to think about for next year.

Weekend Wrap Up

Entertainment:

I plowed through Season 2 of Friday Night Lights this weekend. I only have 2 episodes left. Seriously, ya'll, I love this show! It kind of completes me.

Exercise:

Yesterday my friend Ashlee & I ran the 5.56 mile Boulevard Bolt course in Belle Meade. This is the farthest I've ever run & I did it in 60 minutes, which is a little under an 11 minute mile. It was a recovery run for Ashlee & I didn't push myself too hard because I wanted to take it easy in case I couldn't run the whole course, but I'm pretty proud of myself. I'm hoping to be able to run it in 55 minutes on race day, which would be a 10 minute mile. 5.56 is almost 6 miles, which is almost 10, which is almost a half marathon. Unbelievable.

Social:

At book swap this weekend, I left with a lot of books. Hey, what else have I got to do? You can expect A LOT of book reviews in the immediate future.

Hello, Unemployment!

I'm pretty sure 99% of you are well aware of the fact that I lost my job this week. I won't belabor the point since this topic has been exhausted via phone & email all week, but I will say that these past couple of weeks have been really hard. Aside from my boss losing his re-election last week, I also took the test that determines whether or not I graduate last week. I've been studying for that test 3 times a week since late Aug/Sept. I've had zero social life or spare time & instead of celebrating that it's over & that I'm a month away from an MPA, I'm rewarded with sudden, unexpected unemployment.

I'm fairly confident that I'll get another job, but I'm worried about whether or not I'll run out of money in the meantime. Not to mention, the big graduation celebration I was mentally planning feels ridiculous now: Yay, I graduated. Yay, I don't have a job.

It's no secret that I was unhappy at work & that I was hoping to find another job after graduation, but this feels like the rug has been pulled out from under me, times 3. I am genuinely friends with the majority of people that I worked with & it's really sad that I won't be seeing them, eating lunch with them, working out with them every day. That's honestly the hardest part of all of this.

I want to thank everyone who checked in on me this week. It's helped more than you'll ever know, especially those of you who helped me pack up & leave yesterday without losing my shizz.

In related news, I am now totally available, all the time, so if any of you want to hang at random, unusual times, holla at your girl.

Bon Anniversaire!

Two years ago today I married my best friend. Happy anniversary!

Photostream here.

Weekend Wrap Up

Friday
Friday was hell day. The day started off with the comps (which I think I did well on), moved on to margaritas & then ended up with me going into work because my office was being cleaned out & driving home in tears of exhaustion & frustration.

Saturday
I woke up on Saturday determined to not let my work situation ruin the whole weekend, so I gulped down a few cups of coffee & put on my running shoes. I didn't work out all last week, so it was time. I ran a good 3-4 miles in my neighborhood. At one point, a loose, yellow Lab ran up to me & ran in front of me for about 2 miles. It was kind of hilarious. I wish I knew where he lived, so I could knock on their door & tell them they're welcome for exercising their dog. By the way, I've dubbed him "I-40 Dog."

Saturday night John & I cashed in a $100 gift card at The Palm in early celebration of our anniversary. Today is our actual anniversary (2 years, baby!) & we talked about eating at Wendy's tonight because that's where we ate the night of our wedding, but I'm already thinking of other places I'd like to eat instead (it's been a rough day), so we'll see.

Sunday
God, the time change yesterday really messed me up. I woke up at 4:45am. On a Sunday! It SUCKED. I drank about a pot of coffee & finished Season 1 of Friday Night Lights (see below), then I took a nap, all well before noon. What can I say, I'm a baller.

OMG, FNL!

Ya'll! I just finished watching Friday Night Lights (Season 1), all 22 episodes. Oh. My. GOD! Why didn't I listen to Tiffany years ago when she told me to watch this show? Why didn't I watch it when she gave me the first season on DVD for my birthday last year? WHY?

Side Note:

Sorry, I've been up since 4:45am (stupid time change) & have had WAY too much coffee. There's probably going to be a lot of caps lock & exclamation points in this post.

Okay, where was I? Oh yeah, my UNABASHED LOVE for Friday Night Lights, aka FNL. Anyone that knows me can attest to my complete apathy & ignorance for football, so take that to mean that this show is not about football. Obviously, football is part of the show, but the show is about the relationships between the people in the town.

In the first season, Coach Taylor & his family moves to Dillon, Texas to coach the town's high school football team, the Dillon Panthers. This small Texas town lives & breathes Panthers football. What happens in the first episode will 100% draw you in & make it impossible to not keep watching. And it just gets better. You think you know what it's going to be about, but you so don't. It goes so much farther than you think a network drama about football can go. I don't want to say anything else because it'll ruin it & YOU ALL need to watch this show!

I'm not a crier, but this show got to me, especially in the last 2 episodes (OMG!). I can't tell you how many times this week John has walked into the living room & laughed at me for being so visibly & physically enthralled with this show.

Also worth noting, Brian Grazer is one of the creators & executive producers. It's been my experience that Brian Grazer doesn't do anything bad. If he's involved, I'm typically going to enjoy it (see also: Arrested Development, Parenthood, A Beautiful Mind, etc.).

In August, it was announced that the current season, Season 5, would be the last season. The show has won all kinds of critical acclaim & awards, but it's had trouble with ratings. The current season airs on NBC. You can watch all the previous seasons on ABC Family. They're also available on Netflix Instant Streaming.

I cannot recommend this show enough. It's hands-down one of the best TV shows out there. RIP, FNL. RIP...

My Job

I'm only posting this because I know the majority of you don't follow politics, especially locally. My boss lost his reelection last night. This was 100% unexpected & caught everyone off guard. I did not leave my office yesterday thinking I may wake up today without a job. That sounds dramatic. In all likelihood, I still have a job, but it's not a guarantee. The new guy doesn't take over until January, so I'm presumably safe until then. In January, one of three things will happen: 1) I find a new job by then & none of this matters; 2) the new guy keeps me; or 3) the new guy brings in someone else & they move me to another office.

Again, this staying until January thing isn't a guarantee, so I'm still a little freaked out. Also worth nothing, my comps are this Friday. This is the huge test I take to graduate. I took today & tomorrow off to study, but I have a feeling my concentration isn't going to be what I'd like it be in light of recent events.

That is all.

Halloweekend

Scary Kay & Rachel Zoe

Foxy Lady, Miss Argentina, Sunmaid Raisin Girl, John Oates & Scary Kay

Oates!

How I Became the Bomb

Captain America vs. Superman

Jon Burr as John Baldwin

Beetlejuice!

Would the real John Baldwin please stand up?

Cave couple

Phyllis Diller & young (redneck) lover

Humpty Hump & "Just Visiting"

Captain America & Trailerhood

Sunmaid Raisin Girl & Steve Martin

Orville Redenbacher, photographer at large

Halloween is my favorite holiday. This was the second year we hosted a Halloween party at our house. About an hour before the party, Courtney called & said Brian was coming straight from a photo shoot & had all of his equipment with him, did I want him to bring it to the party? Yes. Yes, I did.

Full photostream here.

Disclaimer: some of these pictures are not for the faint of heart, or probably anyone related to me by blood.

All images © Brian Risse of Brian Risse Photography and may not be used without permission.

Chicken Pot Pie

Ingredients

Boil your chicken

Shred chicken in large bowl

Mix veg-all, cream of chicken soup, milk, salt & pepper

Add chicken

Pour into pie dish

Place pie crust on top, cut off excess & cut 3 small slits in top

Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes

Voila!

This is Mary Katherine's recipe. She gave it to me years ago when I was trying to convince John that I was more than a city girl with a strong propensity for vodka & 4 syllable curse words. Fast forward to six years later & you can see that my plan clearly worked, so thanks Mary Katherine!

Chicken Pot Pie

Ingredients:

1 can veg-all mixed vegetables, drained

1 can cream of chicken soup

*4 cups shredded chicken

1 Pillsbury ready-made pie crust

Milk

Salt & pepper

*I used a bag of chicken breasts. If you use canned chicken, buy 3 or 4 large cans.

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Boil your chicken breasts in a large stock pot for about 10 minutes, then set on a paper towel lined plate to dry.

In a medium bowl, combine veg-all & cream of chicken soup. After you pour in the soup, pour in about half a can of milk & mix. Add salt & pepper to taste.

Shred your boiled chicken breasts in a large bowl, then add to the mixture.

Spray a glass pie dish with Pam, then pour the mixture into the dish.

Roll out 1 pie crust & place it on top of the pie, pinching the edges with your fingers. Take a butter knife & cut the excess off the edges, then cut 3 small slits in the top.

Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes, or until pie crust is brown all over.

(You might want to place some aluminum foil under the dish when you put it in the oven because the pot pie mixture tends to bubble.)