Lions, Tigers, and Bears - Oh My!

Ok, so it's really more like strawberries, mangos, and cucumbers - oh my! Except there's also red onions, thai basil, sea salt and lemon juice in there. Sounds delish right? Smells delish too. Can't wait to have my fruity salsa.

The Best Kind of Sundays.

Sure, I woke up at 6am, ON A SUNDAY. And yes, it turns out I didn't have to work today. What's a girl to do? Call up a friend, eat, laugh, then shop! Carpe diem!

Finally got to go!

An hour and a half wait calls for a yummy bloody mary.

Heaven.

@ the Andaz on 41st Street

The NYPL

Excellent wall display @ Anthropologie @ Rockefeller Center

Extreme Bum-fest.

I have been an EXTREME bum today. Slept in really late (mostly to make my hangover go away), trolled the internet 80% of the day, watched movies, etc. In other words, I have not done anything productive. I think it might be this winter-like weather. The low temperatures just make me want to wear my Sunday finest (aka - big hoody sweatshirt and sweatpants) and do nothing. And so I did. Therefore, no pics today.

However, last night was a different story. I remember lots of venting and giggling. I also vaguely remember dancing at the ferry terminal. And I remember taking a ridiculous $8 cab ride (damn WTC traffic even at night) from the ferry to the path. If I weren't so damn cold out, I would have walked it but oh well.

Making my way to HH - snapping a pic of Trinity Church.

@ the ferry terminal

Still couldn't get "Staten" in the picture.

From far away, this chick looked like she had no pants on.

And those sky high wedges, god were they a blinding shade of pink.

Friday Funny 04.27

Acutally, I never have until I saw this on Pinterest. So from now on - le mow!

Book Review.

Did I love this book? No.
Did I hate this book? Not, really.
Then what? Well, the story was interesting, the way it was written not so much.

I felt like there was too much back story. Too many unnecessary details. I was drawn to this book after reading a review somewhere (probably one of my chick magazines) and while this is not the type of book I typically pick up and read, I found her story intriguing. And so a request was submitted to the library. Nearly 6 weeks after taking this out, I finally finished it yesterday. Ms. Prouty's life is interesting - survives an abusive family, survives growing up in war torn Lebanon, yet perseveres and makes a life for herself in the US and goes on to building a successful career in the FBI and CIA. (Success is relevant though.) And while all that is interesting, I couldn't get over the tone of the book. I found it whiny in a way I can't explain. I also didn't care for the one-too-many explanations of acronyms and definitions associated with her terms at the FBI and CIA. And what irritated me the most once I was done with the book, was realizing that the ending seemed rush. Clearly by the title of the book, we learn about her rise and fall. Yet, the part about redemption was like 2 chapters at the end. I felt jipped. I felt like I got so much of a backstory that the end seemed clipped.

Not related to my [poor] book review, but on a somehow related note, Ms. Prouty mentions a number of times, her disdain for the "boys club" attitude and atmosphere she encountered at the FBI. She also talks of instances when she was on assignment in other cities, that her fellow agents would prioritize taking advantage of the travel in the foreign destination rather than working hard on the case in which they were there for. And one of her other common  complaints of fellow agents, was the fact they did not value as much as she did, the importance of confidential, and perhaps classified information, that they touted in their travels. With all that has recently been in the news about Secret Service agents' scandal in Colombia, I find it quite humorous that the Secret Service is saying this is not a common occurrence. Sure, different agencies, but clearly this "boys club" and "boys will be boys" attitude carries throughout our federal government. After reading this book and watching the current news, it just makes you wonder what other kind of lascivious behavior has been tolerated and what other "confidential" US government information is not being properly handled.

Rant Off.

Dear eBay Buyer....

....PLEASE LEAVE ME FEEDBACK!

Sincerely,
Your Hardworking eBay Seller
______________________________________________________
I just don't get it. I take the time to post things on eBay. I take the time (well most of the time) to answer your questions and send you pictures when you request them. Once you win, I take the time to package your pretty item with pretty labels and my ever so pretty washi tape. Then I take more time to go to the Post Office, where I get really annoyed when people cut the line because they are too blind and stupid to see that there are 10 other people waiting for the automated machines. And then, of course, I take more time to send you a nice note that your package was shipped and give you the tracking number. So all I ask is you leave feedback (preferably positive of course) of your experience once your package arrives. That's all I ask!!! Sheesh. No, you also make me take time to see if the package did, indeed, make it to it's destination and then I have to send you a reminder. And even then, 80% of you don't leave me feedback. WTF?! You're the worst kind of eBayer. And it's a damn shame eBay doesn't let me leave you neutral feedback. Well, eBay sucks at a lot of things also (like their ridiculous fees) but that's another rant off for another time. So there, that's my rant for the day. Now, feel free to visit my eBay listings and bid to your heart's desire on my gently used items from Kate Spade, Coach, J. Crew, etc. Momma needs to find them a nice new loving home and make room for new children.  :)

Yum Yum in My Tum Tum.

Spinach & turkey lasagna roll-ups (yes, again).

 

Baby spinach & turkey frittatas.

I just spent endless amount of hours in the kitchen cooking which of course led to washing dishes about a bajillion times. But, yay, I have an assortment food that includes the above pictures. I also wanted to make a mango/strawberry salad but I am tired of being in the kitchen and I am more tired of washing dishes (have I mentioned I hate doing dishes?). 

So yeah, lasagna again (eventually I'll post the recipe) but for some reason, 3rd time was not a charm. I've made this twice before and both times I found it surprisingly delicious. This time, something was off. I'm convinced it was the pasta. I used boring old ShopRite pasta because nothing else was on sale. No way was I paying full price for my beloved Barilla. (Yes, I'm that cheap. It has to at least be on sale if I don't have coupon.)

Then I've been wanting to make baby frittatas. (Sidenote: the word frittata makes me giggle. Especially when you pronounce it slowly, like fri-ta-TA.; double sidenote: I don't want to call them mini frittatas. I prefer baby frittatas.) Anyway, I was going to make them with zucchini and asparagus but by the time I got to making these, I wasn't in the mood to chop up more vegetables. (Remember, more kitchen work = more dishes for me to wash. No bueno.) And then the lightbulb went off! I'll just use the leftover ground turkey and spinach from my lasagna! Ta-da, and a miracle was born! Ok, not a miracle, but yumminess was made a lot faster. So that's that. But I need to work on the non-stick factor. As much as I sprayed my mini muffin pans, they still did not pop out easily. In fact, all the bottoms were stuck on the pan. Good thing you can't tell in my photos :)

Twice as [N]Ice

Iced coffee numero uno. I finished it!! (I never drink the bottoms of my drinks. It's my thing.)

Super big iced coffee numero dos. Plus a parfait.

If I Were...

...a color, today, I would be mint green. Yes, I know it's all the rage, but it's pretty and I like it. Some things I've pinned (and would love to add to my wardrobe)...

What's In a Name?

Potential names of my future children? No.
Potential names for my future dog? No. (He already has a name.)
Names of guys I've dated? Nope.
Names of glasses I wanted to get intimate with this weekend? Yes!
Turns out I didn't get intimate with all of them, but there is a winner in there. We'll find out when he arrives :)

Oh Shiznit.

Inspiration for blogpost - time on computer stating it was 11:41pm. "Oh shiznit (or really, I thought "holy crap, oh $hit!!) - time to get working on my post before it's technically Monday!!!". So, oh shiznit, here I go.

Walking home from a quick jaunt to the mall this AM...

"Oh shiznit, I hate wet blossoms. They're mucky and  yucky. But they make a good pic." *snap pic*

Arts & Crafts, courtesy of Kate Spade and Martha Stewart.

"Oh shiznit...I need a card for today!! Oh wait, I got plenty-o-note cards and a paper punch. YES!"

Decent outfit of the day.
(Decent in that I wore hideous sweats, a fleece and barely fixed my hair to do laundry, get coffee, and speedwalk to the mall.)

"Oh shiznit...thank god I "ran" to H&M to complete my outfit with this basic white tee. I think I look cute." *snap pic*

Saturday Snapshots.

Super late brunch w/my fave cousin.

Wall art @ Topshop

A view from the Flatiron District.

Sock Bun & Peplum

The title of this post sounds bizarre, don't you think? Nope, it's not the name of some fancy shmancy boutique, or  obscure band, or under the radar restaurant restaurant.  "Sock bun" sounds weird and funny. And "peplum" sounds like a made-up word. And yet, I've titled my post as such. Why? Keep reading friends...

Today we experimented in fashion. After approaching a total stranger on the street yesterday and complimenting her on her shirt, I found myself hours later in an H&M (aka HAM) scouring the same top. Yup, a peplum top. Except mine is a pretty pale pink. Then, refusing to fall asleep at 10pm, I took the plunge. The sock bun plunge that is. I kept seeing it on Pinterest lately but never paid much attention to it. Until last night. I figured, how hard could it be? Well, for this hair troubled girl, it was not hard at all! So today, I'm rocking a sock bun & peplum shirt. And a statement necklace. But that didn't sound funny enough to my post and that is why it's not up there.

Friday Funny 04.20

Ok, you must be wondering what's so funny about the above photo. Well, for one thing, they're no ordinary pair of shorts. Look closer. They are pick-pocket proof underwear. Yes, you read that correctly. And now you must be wondering why on earth I am posting this to my page and how I even came across this in the first place. Curious minds, I know. One night in bed, my sleepy-time ritual is to read the MSNBC app. They had this article about how to not get pick-pocketed (or something like that) while travelling. "Click." And then this funny article came up and I start laughing hysterically because of this part:
_____________________________________________________________________
Pocket-enhanced panties and briefs are also offered byStash It Wear. “They come with a huge dedicated pocket that is easily accessible for placement of items or retrieval of items,” said company owner Philip Scott. “When properly worn and used they are pickpocket proof.”
_________________________________________________________
Um, first of all, how would they be improperly worn?! They're underwear for goodness sake!! Do you wear your underwear over your pants? If you answer yes to that, then I am sorry, you deserve to be pick-pocketed!

Then they go further and show an instructional video on how these skivvies work (gosh so many things wrong with this idea). I NEARLY DIED. I cried hysterically for a good 10 minutes. I suggest you watch it. But not at work. People might look at you weirdly.

For the Love of Bag!

That is not a typo. I did, indeed, say for the love of bag! I am on the [bargain] hunt for this Marc Jacobs bag I badly want. I saw it at Century 21 during lent, but my stupid shopping ban Lenten sacrifice prevented me from making the awesome and relatively bargain-priced purchase. (If you know me, I refuse to pay full price for just about anything. Except from this mint green lace top from Zara but that's another story for another day.) Anyway, I tried Century right after Easter and the bag was gone!! It had only been a week since I had been there and spotted it. I tried again this week - nada. I haven't seen it any other discount store so I decided to head the Upper West location of Century, but again, NADA. For the love of bag!!! Instead, I ended up with some new scenery to photograph.

Pretty colorful shoes @ Zara.

Took this only because it reminded me of Gossip Girl. (Yes, I still watch the show.)

@ Columbus Circle

Obsession.

Ooh, pretty bangles. A mix & match from various "collections" I own.

My lunch appetizer. Clearly, I'm in a mood.
I've never actually had those cookies before but thought I would give it a shot.
Turns out, I should have stuck to good old Saulsalito's. And Soft Baked at that.
These are still good, just not the same.

My latest additions to my ever growing addiction to bangles. I mean, I even have a Pinterest board just for this.
Top Left: Apt.9 from Kohl's | Top Right & Center: Charlotte Russe (yay for $5 sales!!)

Famous Last Words

Yesterday was just so gorgeous. I never got around to posting because by the time I got home, it was late and I just crashed right into bed. That and I may have had one too many cocktails.

Killing time before HH, reading a magazine and catching some rays.

Cool light reflection of glass panes onto wall. ROYGBIV!

"Let's meet after work for a drink." -me

Hours later..."I'll just have a glass of sangria." -me

As usual, my famous last words.

"Would you like another drink?" -waiter

"Um, ok. What are those girls over there drinking? It looks colorful and delicious. I'll have one please :) " -me

Once again, happy hour turns into happy-many-hours. And one drinks manifests into 3 (last drink not pictured 'cuz frankly I was getting my drinky drink on and who really cares about my night shot of a glass of sangria? Oh, and I was too lazy to "whip" out the phone that was already on the table), but good times were had and warm spring weather enjoyed. I love my famous last words. I know the moment it comes out of my mouth, I'll be hailing a taxi many hours later and thinking of McDonald's fries on the train ride home.

If I Were...

...a color, today I would be pink. Although, today I'm wearing tons of various shades of coral. Same thing I guess. It's really springy outside and I tend to associate pinks and corals with such beauty :)

One Word.

Fallen.

Sunset.

Laundry.

Accesorize.