I loved my time at college. I love my life now after college, and honestly, I have no pathetic need to relive those four years, but I will say that I would return to my stomping grounds if I had the opportunity to play Quidditch in a heartbeat.
Don't even try to lie to yourself. You so know that you feel the same way.
Tufts is one such school that currently has a Quidditch team. They aren't funded yet by the university but it sounds like they are on their way. Players wear uniforms complete with brooms! Instead of a quaffle, they use dodgeballs and instead of small flying golden snitch there is a person dressed head to toe in gold running around the field.
The World Cup is October 25th. Totally wish I had known about this because I would have planned a road trip! I mean, I went to see the World Champion Curling Competition when it was held in Lowell a few years ago. While the college Quidditch tournament doesn't have the national recognition it does have the potential for an amazing time. I'll have to put it on my calendar next year. This time next year, I will **hopefully** have recently flown out to Vegas for the Kickball Tournament (now that will be an athletic experience!) and will need something low-key to attend. :)
Entertainment Weekly wrote up about the explosions in Law Abiding Citizen. The action director for this movie also did The Italian Job and The Negotiator. It is clear that the guy has serious skills when it comes to making the big scenes work. The publication asked him to give three tips on how to make it work. Tip number two is the one that just didn't sitwell with me.
Make it look as real as possible.
Now, just reading the tip, I'm sure you are wondering what is so wrong with this piece of advice. Of course I want the explosions to look realistic and not all digital, but the example of how he made it look real is what I found to be disturbing...
"Those cars were scripted to detonate outside a prison...Gray decided to blow them up outside an actual functioning prision located near Philadelphia...'We had to take all types of cautionary measures because prisoners can escape...we had to lock down their prison'" (EW)
I want to know what it meant that they had to "lock down" the prison. Yes, I understand prisoners are bad people. But I really hope, that this lock down did not restrict their daily activities. A person's basic rights should not be limited because of some mediocre action flick.
Getting a bad batch of peach rings from the local convenience store afterward!
Today, I got a call letting me know that I didn't get a dream job while I was home sick. Bad enough, right? I then did what any normal, sane person would do, and that would be to skip my healing naps for some intense job searching. After sending out some more resumes and amazing cover letters I decided that I needed something to pep me up.
Healthy foods do not work well for pity parties. Gummy candy, however, is a miracle worker. I walked over to the local corner store to get some chips and gummy candy. Found some peach rings (which are second only to green frogs) and thought all would be well. When I got home and opened the bag, it was failure. Never in my life have I ever been so disappointed about a piece of candy. The bag even says "gourmet". Sigh.
"there is no reason not to be chic at any given moment and this is just the chicest hat"
This is the line that I heard as I turned on my tv this afternoon. I would say that yes, it is very important for a person to stay chic. But when I think fashionable, I do not think this hat...
The HSN hosts let me know that this hat comes in a number of colors/styles - black, chinchilla/black, brown, cheetah, lynx, and white. How do you choose which one to purchase? The problem of picking only intensifies when you make this purchase a gift! The hosts had a solution to you the viewer:
"Buy one for the mother one for the daughter, you know the aunt and the cousin and then they can switch off!"
Of course! I want to be sure that I can give my family options on looking awful. But before I am ready to call up and order, I did have one concern that another view was able to call and voice. With a faux fur hat that looks this expensive, how in the world do you clean it if you get some schmutz on it? Again, the host had an answer...
"i would use probably a little soap and water. you know whatever you use to clean things. but you knwo what most stuff that you get on faux fur you can just tap it a little bit and blot it. just like what you do on your couch. don't rub it in. try and catch it --- try and pull it off and use a little water. whatever you use for your carpets and things like that, its very similar"
I am sure the designer loves that their product is being compared to a couch. Pretty sure every fashionista has been just dying to wear something that reminds them of their upholstery on their heads.
I love on the website that there is a "how to shop" link that explains that they are expecting a large crowd so there will be rules on how to shop for the shoes.
I have wanted a pair of Jimmy Choo Shoes since I first started watching Sex and the City in high school (middle school? when did that come out again...)
If I am able to swing this (which is unlikely as the closest store that will have this promotion is NYC), I promise I will let you know
My love for high heels is pretty obvious. Half my blog's name goes to this one item in my wardrobe. When searching for new pairs I often look for styles and patterns that would look good not only with a short skirt, but also with a nice pair of dress pants for the office. Up until recently I saw no reason to keep them out of my Monday - Friday 9 - 5 life.
With the interviewing I have been doing over the last few months I did start reading up on some pointers regarding first impressions and what not. Many articles mention that it is not a good idea to wear perfume (obvi), bright fun colors (sad but again pretty understandable) but also no high heels. I get the concept if I were to wear a skirt, but if I'm wearing pants why does it matter that the last three or so inches of my leg is actually a heel? In the end I have been trying to wear flats to get the job. Once hired, those heels would go into the back of my closet out will come the far prettier ones.
I was fine with the whole, save the good stuff for later. Then my aunt sent me this article "Do high heels empower or oppress women?". It does make a few interesting points. After finishing it, I can't say I feel a super need to give up the heels, but at the same time I get very uneasy about the fact that they could be holding me back. There was the usual "women are fashion slaves to men" kind of argument. Know what, I honestly like the way my feet look in those shoes as well as the rest of my body. If it is because I am brainwashed by men in fashion, I can deal with that until they develop something that makes me feel as confident in something like a flat. The best point towards the keeping of heels (even though the article does lean towards a 2.5 incher) is the following:
“Take a look around — you rarely see women in power strutting around in ballet flats,” Goldman said. “Even their ‘flats’ have a small heel of some kind. Flats scream either demure or comfortable. Neither is an image you want to project at work.”
Yes, flats are for woman that are happy with the glass ceiling. (No I have many friends that love flats and do not like the glass ceiling but I couldn't help myself just now. I apologize).
Part of me wonders if the reason that you do see high heels considered a "no" with the workforce is because men are finding it intimidating to stand eye-to-eye (another pro point in the article). I mean, DSW just released the following ad that says just that...
I haven't worn a single Halloween costume yet. Therefore, there should not be any SNOW falling from the sky. Mother nature is being a cruel cruel woman. She denied me weekends on the beach. My skin couldn't be more pale if it tried. I am not ready for having to bundle up.
This afternoon I went to the grocery store, and wore flip flops (out of laziness). At the time it was raining so my toes weren't going to freeze or anything like that. About 45 minutes after I had returned I look out my window and I realize I can see the rain. Then I conclude that I am not "seeing rain" I am watching snow fall.
Depressing.
The weather people claim Tuesday is bringing 60 degree weather. I really really hope this is true. I cannot bring myself to go down into the basement and retrieve my cold weather gear.
There are number of weddings slated for next spring/summer/fall. In one of these weddings I will be a bridesmaid. This is rather exciting for me as the only time I have been in a wedding I was about 3 years old and a flower girl. I have been helping the bride-to-be search for her wedding dress for a litle over a month now. The experience has been eye opening.
Together we have been to four boutiques in Boston, David's Bridal and Jessica McClintock in the Natick Mall. The service at the stores was, for the most part, consistantly good. Vicky at David's Bridal was no less attentive than the women working at the higher end stores like Vera Wang and l'Elite. These individuals all really knew what kind of dresses look good on a person's body. It was also refreshing to see that they were not afraid to let you know if the dress wasn't quite made for you. They always waited for our initial reactions, but if there was doubt about a look, they were perfectly willing to explain why that doubt most likely existed and also let us know if it was something that could be fixed.
After we had picked out the dresses we found to be interesting, these women would often suggest something that was overlooked or intentionally not picked. More often than not, these dresses looked breath-taking. Moral of this part of the story: trust the wedding dress shop employees!
There were a few heartbreaking scenes which all related to the fact that these places only have sample sizes on site. Usually the dress only comes in one size and the size can be from 6 to 10 (more likely a 6 or 8). My bride was able to fit nicely in most of the dresses. Occasionally we had to clamp her in because it was too big, but out of the 50 or so dresses we tried on, I think maybe 2 didn't zip up.
This was not the case for some of the others. I saw girls who had the dresses completely unzipped in the back and the dresses were clipped onto their undergarments. One of the women who I saw trying to envision herself in a dress that would actually fit her ended up just breaking down. She went out onto the stairwell and tears began to flow. It killed me to hear her friend have to reassure her that there was nothing wrong with her shape and that she was not too big for designer dresses, it was merely an issue of a store only carrying one size. The scene really broke my heart a bit as we were leaving the store and heading to our next appointment.
I do wish that these places could carry at least one or two dresses in a bigger size because it is awfully hard to visualize what a dress will look on you when it is so mis-sized. America is getting bigger so shouldn't the sample sizes?
In the end, my bride thankfully picked out her dress this weekend and it is AMAZING! She is very happy with the final decision. The funny thing is, is that it is nothing like what we have been looking for/at for the last few weeks, it was a just for fun try-on. I hope all of the other brides-to-be that we have encountered are also able to have that moment where they look into the mirror and start to glow. :)
A friend of mine tweeted this article yesterday from boston.com. It was the article I have been waiting for, it let the world know that employees are not happy. There have been statistics stating that people who are employed are happy. They are happy because they are employed and therefore they are grateful for paycheck. No. They are not happy. Especially if they are young. I hear from peers all of the time now how miserable they are at work. There are fewer people in the office and more work left on the remaining peoples' desks. Longer hours are required to complete everything but there have been nothing but salary freezes and unpaid overtime. Employers are holding back on freebies which, yes does help with the bottom line, but it does not help with moral.
At my employment we had money in our budget for an annual celebration in the last fiscal year before the crunch came down on budgets. Central decided would be in poor taste to throw the small bash. The line item was probably about two thousand dollars, so it wasn't going to be super lavish, but it was what we were all looking forward to after months of uncertainty and crazy work loads. Instead of free food and drinks for 2-3 hours that usually started at about 4 pm, we were sent an evite to meet at a local pub to socialize starting at 5. It was noted that you should remember to bring cash, as drinks were on you not them. Clearly, I opted to not go. If I was going to pay for my drinks I was going to do that with some good friends.
The boston.com article really does hit the nail on the head. If you be nasty to your employees they aren't going to stay. They will bolt as soon as the job market opens up again. Hopefully the workplace becomes more employee friendly.
When home in RI this weekend my mom asked me to read a news article she saw and thought be good for me to read. It was called The Lost Generation and all about how young people are being kept out of the work force.
College graduates can't get jobs which is terrible just on the basic level. These individuals have no income, may be forced to live with their parents, and hope to get an interview let alone a job somewhere.
What is scarier is when you think about what that means for our country on a larger scale. I mean if individuals are having to wait a year (or possibly more) to get a start in their industry that just means there are less young professionals out learning. They are getting behind and employers are not going to want to give them a chance later down the road. Employers should want youth, we think differently, we master technology and we can help make positive changes or simply we are will to WORK. Youth is being underrated right now. The article points out how much young people help not only on technical level but they add to the atmosphere and morale.
Employers are keeping it in the family. They aren't looking for new blood, no matter how cheap they can get it, and because of this young people are being forced to sit tight and keep their futures on hold. When they are ready to open the doors there will be so many pouring in trying to get a spot and frustrations will just get higher. Can you imagine knowing that jobs were finally available and there just wasn't a spot for you? The only comfort that exists right now, is that you know everyone else is just as stuck as you are....
The more I read this article more frustrated I am for me and my peers. Hey employers, please start hiring us. We need the chance.
Winter is storming Boston. The temperature is dropping crazy fast and because of this I am skipping kickball and instead cooking for one of my best friends from college. I find that cooking for one is pretty much impossible if you want a really hearty meal, so I try and find a guest so that I am not eating the same thing for 4 days straight.
Tonight's menu is baked mac & cheese, green beans (made like last time), fresh fruit with chocolate fondue and mulled spiced rum cider. Lots and lots of warmth. I usually I use elbows for the mac & cheese but forgot to purchase the pasta when I was at the store yesterday so I went with cellentani. I feel like it was a succes. This was the first time I have made the dish since probably March or so, and I am glad that rues are so simple make (equal parts flour and butter) otherwise this could have been disastrous.
It took us a while to finish off everything, but by the end we were very full and very satisfied and enjoyed watching the latest episode of Top Chef sans commercials thanks to the DVR.
Food is really powerful stuff. Cooking dinner by myself in the apartment was so relaxing and calming after a frustrating afternoon in the office. Eating made me even more happy and content. The stress just melted away, and know why? Food helps with stress. In particular complex carbs and milk sooth the jitters. I found a list of stress reducing foods on webmd today. Those foods will be finding a home in my fridge and then my belly soon!
In two weeks we have the mid-season party for my kickball league. The board opted to go with a theme for this event, and that theme is "Good Girls, Bad Boys". When we first discussed this at the bar after the games last week one of the females that was around me said, "so Catholic school girl uniforms then?".
Honestly.
I love wearing costumes. I find putting on outfits that regular society would look at me strangely for as something really really enjoyable. While, I completely understand that some (okay most) of the outfits are tight and short, I like to think that I do keep relatively covered up (in spandex). Halloween costumes that are made for women are all plunging necklines, bared midriffs, coupled with teeny bottoms. I don't purchase ready made "slutty ____" costumes purely on principle. The concept of "Good Girl" for this party really should simply say, "Slutty versions of good girls". My friends and I are attempting to dress like cops. However, I am relatively certain that when I am walking to and from the bar a) I will not be mistaken for a cop on duty and b) will not blend in easily with other patrons when we leave the kickball festivities and attempt to join up with friends at other establishments.
Just throwing it out there, my actual Halloween costume will so not be slutty this year. I have a few more pieces to acquire for it, but it seems to be working out just fine and I am very pleased with the idea.
If you can't find it at the Christmas Tree Shop where do you go? Oh right. That would be Job Lot!! Or for those of you not from Lil' Rhody, Ocean State Job Lot. This store has it all and I have been waiting for my chance to go home and shop there since I moved in here. This store has it all! Rugs to patio furniture to knives to food to clothing to everything under the sun.
My main objective to going was that I needed spices. They are so expensive in the grocery stores. At Job Lot you can get a huge container for 75 cents. Sounds amazing right? I stocked up on all the major spices I probably need; Oregano, Basil, Cinnamon, Garlic Powder, etc...
In addition to purchasing spices, I was able to acquire those grip mats you put under throw rugs, a box of Sugar In the Raw Packets (25 packets for $1) and sandwich baggies (75 for $1). Had I the time to really stop and think about it, there was potential that I would come away with a new foot stool. There were some great wrote iron foot stools with curled up feet and cushy tops. Oh well, maybe next time. The place does have just about everything! :)
Oh by the way, I had called my mom to let her know I was back in South County but had to make a few stops before heading home for the Pats game. When I said I was headed to Job Lot, she said "oh your sister is headed there right now. She decided to come home from college for the weekend too". Gotta love that both of us felt it necessary to stop at Job Lot before seeing our parents. Can't say no to a bargain!
Driving home to RI this morning, okay this afternoon, I realized I hadn't gotten a shot of caffeine yet and was desperate for some coffee. I pulled over at the Sharon exit on 95 South as I saw signs indicating my mecca was just off the highway. The DD was cute and as I ordered my iced coffee (it got rather warm once I left the city) I saw the sign for the Spiced Apple Twist. I indulged.
I knew that I shouldn't get my hopes up for this product but I was getting a little excited. I was envisioning the tasty McDonald's Apple Pie.
So not what I ended up with.
The first clue to the fact that this was not what I was hoping for was the size of the bag that the warm apple twist came in. It was small. On the poster, the treat was next to what appeared to be a medium coffee. Based on my extensive experience with the DD coffee, I thought I had an understanding of the size of the pastry. I completely forgot about the world of photoshop.
The treat was at least half the size I had been hoping for. Then on top of that the picture showed something fluffy and puffy. I was imagining that there was an apple filling of some sort. Nope. The apple flavoring comes from some apple/cinnamon stuff that is drizzled on top (think of toaster strudels). Completely unsatisfying. The pastry was dense and just simply unpleasant.
In the end it was such a disappointment, which is a shame given that it was all of 3 bites. I will have to give DD a FAIL for this one. Sorry guys.
As I have posted previously, I made a great dinner on Wednesday. I had planned out how I was going to leave my office at 5 pm, walk home, unwind/change out of work clothing, cook, clean, and hang up some pictures all by the time my guest arrived for a 7:30 dinner. Part of my plan involved simply placing on the TV so that I had background noise and company while running around. I get to the point that I want some fictional company and no signal. I try the computer so that I can get something playing off that - no internet. Thankfully iTunes does not require an internet connection.
I left the tv on to see if the connection would just fix itself. After a while I called Comcast and requested a power boost signal thing that is supposed to be your first step in solving cable/internet problems. (Requesting this is the equivalent of turning it off and on your computer before you call IT)
After about 20 minutes I check on it again, I find that there is still nothing. So as I am scrapping potatoes I grab the phone again and try to speak to a representative. I will give Comcast credit, I did not have to wait on hold for long, but after a slightly awkward conversation it was determined that there was simply a blackout in my area. So no tv.
That was fine, I was only using the tv for company and would have simply put on stuff from my dvr list. It wasn't until my guest showed up and I told him about the issue as I was unable to look up something on the internet, that I realized the horror of no cable signal...
Without signal, no DVR powers. With no DVR/cable that meant no GLEE!!!!!!
I know that hulu is there for just this type of problem, but man. I use my DVR so that I don't watch crap tv and only watch things I am actually interested in, and I was about to miss out on the best new show of the season.
While we were dining I saw out of the corner of my eye my modem light up. This provided much relief. GLEE was in my near future after all. After my friend went home to study, I cleaned up and was able to retrieve an episode full of some fantastic mashups.
Yeah, I know tv is out to get me and mush up my mind. But I am surviving just fine for now. Maybe some day I will become a person that "doesn't need tv". As for now, please, bring on Real Chance of Love 2, GLEE, and the new Melrose every week :)
My kitchen is full of dirty pans, plates, bowls and serving utensils. My stomach is full, my feet are up, and I am just doneskies. I have been slowly getting back into the groove of cooking for myself regularly, and well, I think I am feeling good about my culinary instincts. Honestly, part of my new excitement for cooking comes from having complete control of my kitchen for the first time ever, but the other part is my desire/need to stay within budget.
I had a number of awesome friends who helped me move in here and I am slowly trying to formally thank them all by cooking for them. Tonight I had one of them over to show off my place and my skills with the stove/oven. He was impressed by all. Here was tonight's menu:
Mom's meatloaf (complete with a great tomato based sauce with a bit of tang)
Smashed potatoes (shout out to my fav none-benny lava kickballer for the use of her smasher)
Steamed green beans w/ toasted almonds and plumped craisens (steamed in a combo of water and oj)
Oh, and this was of course paired with Honey Moon and Harpoon Hefeweizen. Everything came out wonderfully, especially given this was my first attempt at this particular dish. I called my mum a few times to be sure I understood what I was doing and she just laughed and answered my small questions.
I did use the most of my time since there were occasions where I had some cooking "down time" you know after the meat went into the oven, but before I had to put the potatoes on or then later the beans. So I was able to not only clean up the house but also...
HANG UP THE PICTURE FRAMES! Yay. There might just be a few extra holes in my walls. That mainly has to do with the fact that I picked some softer places in the wall to put some nails, which meant they weren't going to hold. Then I also was a little to rushed to use the level right at first and things weren't lining up as well as I had hoped. Fortunately the pictures are hanging over the extra holes so no one can tell what had happened.
As much as I enjoyed cooking tonight for a friend, really I had a great time singing to some trashy B. Spears while doing so, I really don't feel like tackling the last of the dishes. At least I know that I did the first round of prep dishes already and I just have serving and eating stuff left for the most part. But I just can't bring myself to attempt a good clean up. My kitchen sink will just stay full of dishes until tomorrow. Fortunately, I think I can live with that. :)
Purse puppies are so last season. The chihuahua is a thing of the past. I mean who wants to have to take care of a dog that gets exhausted from simple walking and requires sugar water to become re-energized. Elle Woods may have been someone to strive to be, who wants to be Paris?
Britain has a the new "it" pet. The teeny pig!! They are the size of a tea cup and go for about £700 (this equates to about $1,116.92). Rupert Grint aka Ron has one! I have loved pigs for so long now and totally have wanted one as a pet, but they big and well big. So instead I had hound dogs. But this would be an awesome solution to wanting a pig but not having the space for a potbelly!
I wonder if the apartment would be ok with me acquiring one. I can have up to one cat, but no dogs. I wonder where pigs fall in on this spectrum. I mean I think he could just live in the apartment. He would totally love living here with me. I just know it.
Sunday I stopped over at the Christmas Tree Shop to purchase some picture frames to hang up photos of some really awesome people. The frames were priced at an amazing $6.99 (each holding six pictures). Sadly, they came in white and dark brown. Not the colors I was hoping for. Fortunately, it was (in my mind at least) a quick fix to turn them into deep pink and black. In the real world, it may have only cost me $5 for the paint and brushes, the time it took to paint was FOREVER.
Well, I finally finished the frames. I then designed which picture would be in which peep hole, how I wanted them put up on the wall and I get out my hammer and nails to complete the project for good. That is when my eye drifted to the clock on my cable box. It was 11:35 pm.
Being the good neighbor I am, I have decided to postpone hammering until a more respectable hour. I hope those around me can feel my positive and respectful karma floating their way. Cannot wait for tomorrow to get the pictures up! They will be a lovely greeting for me each and every time I enter my apartment.
As a side note, the building has been a pleasure to live in. There was a small window of time where someone on the other side of the courtyard thought it was a fantastic idea to jam on their fife from about 11 pm - 1 am on a weeknight. But they have since reevaluated that thought. I think my downstairs neighbor running across the yard and yelling at their window might have something to do with that decision making. (I might have been watching from my window in amazement. I can sleep through most anything so I was actually more disturbed by the yelling than the music...)
Saturday I was on my way into the city to celebrate the aforementioned nuptials my phone rings. I was a little preoccupied with whether or not the sky was going to open up on me I was tempted to ignore it and just deal with voice mail when I get around to it. Which would probably be about a week later when I finally got around to listening to what had built up in my mailbox. But since I saw that it was from a number I didn't know, I felt like I needed to pick it up.
I am glad I did.
I have been waiting for pictures that I ordered from the kodak gallery (beta) website. They were from my trip to Alaska and fun pictures of friends for a wall collage. I got an email over a week ago letting me know that the pictures had been printed and stuck in the mail. Every day I raced to my apartment hoping to see something sitting outside my doorway. Nothing. Well, this phone call explained it all.
Is this Ms. _____?
Yes
Sorry we got disconnected
We didn't get disconnected. But this is Ms. ______
We were just talking a moment ago and the line went dead.
I'm sorry, but I was not on the phone. Who are you?
I'm _______, with UPS. You were telling me that we delivered your package to the front entrance and we should have dropped it in the back.
Oh. Oh! OH! I know what you are talking about. I ordered something that hasn't arrived yet. I have been waiting and there are different entrances. The delivery guy must have just gone to the wrong door. So what did the woman say she did with my package?
Well she was yelling. She said she was you and very upset.
That was the bulk of the conversation. What kind of person yells at a UPS service rep and pretends to be the person on the label? I apologized to the rep saying that I would never yell at a call center person (I used to be one!) and please don't put me on the bad list there over at UPS.
My friends were appalled and then one piped up that maybe she just read my name off the package and the rep thought she was talking to me. Either way, she just put the package back in her front doorway so had the rep never gotten disconnected I wouldn't know it was sitting there.
At least the story ended well for me. I remembered as I was walking up to my entrance that I needed to turn back real quick and pray that the woman didn't distroy my stuff. It was there! Yay. Those pictures will be up on the walls of my place quite soon. I can't wait!
I have ignored highheelsshortskirt.blogspot.com for too long and I apologize. The main reason was that I was preparing, cooking and then enjoying jello shots that were made for a friends wedding party. I call it a wedding party as they got married at City Hall on Friday at 11:15 am (they got a $40 discount for being on time) and we had party subs, cheesecake and beer on Saturday afternoon/evening to celebrate. I brought 49 jello shots per the request of the lovely bride. One of the types is a margarita jello shot that I attempted for the first time and was quite a success.
This new shot inspired a fantastic idea. That I create a new blog, in addition this one of course, that is devoted to my jello shot skills. I have been trying to think of a great name for such a blog and have been opening up to my friends via twitter, gchat, kickball aftergame parties and now my blog. If any one has any suggestions for a catchy url (_____.blogspot.com) or blog title, please let me know. Currently the only thing that has been even reasonably interesting was "Lots Lots of Jello Shots", and really, who wants to read that blog. :P
