Espresso and Dirty Pop.

Today, it was so humid outside that when M and I stepped out for a coffee, it felt a little like I could chew the air. Tomorrow is supposed to be worse. Eiw. Sticky.

But, if I'm being honest, that is the biggest complaint that I have about life at this moment. And if a little heat in September is as bad as it gets, then life must be pretty sweet. Yeah, life IS pretty sweet.

Today, I rediscovered my love of iced cappuccino. Those who know me know that I DO love my coffee, but every once in a while, a swift kick in the teeth from a shot of espresso is JUST what I need. Mmm. Energy. This afternoon I also rediscovered my *NSync station on Pandora. What is it about boy bands that instantly puts me in a better mood?? It can't just be me. Type "Bye Bye Bye" into your music engine and tell me you don't crack a smile as soon as you hear those opening notes.

On top that, I have an awesome job with really great co-workers and amazing kids, I am running a 5-mile race in Brooklyn this weekend, my Mom, Aunt and Sister are visiting at the end of the month, and I made a really awesome discount find at CVS last night...




RIGHT?!?! Bling Bling? Pirate? Now I DON'T HAVE TO CHOOSE!!

I'd gush more, but I have to run off to my early childhood math class. Normally, anything that has even the WORD "math" in it is enough to give me anxiety, but it appears this class doesn't go much beyond counting and identifying shapes. THAT, I think I can handle. Hopefully.

Danielle Steel FTW...

When my sister and I were in elementary school, we spent much of our time before and after school at our father's mother's house. In addition to being home to hundreds of porcelain dolls covered with see-through plastic sheets, plates which had been modge-podged with whatever holiday-themed fabric was available, and an above-ground pool with a fountain in the middle, it was also home to our father's youngest sister, Jessica. Jess is and always has been an avid fan of Danielle Steel. She has a copy of pretty much everything Danielle has ever written; some in both hardcover and paperback, as well as VHS recordings of all the made-for-TV movies which have been adapted from her novels. I have always been familiar with Danielle Steel.

I'm not [horribly] ashamed to admit that I, too, have read a few Danielle Steels. I usually pick them up at a yard sale or Goodwill, read them, and before long they are resigned to the same fate as before- sitting on a yard sale table or Goodwill shelf. Just this weekend I picked up one I had not seen before- a love story between a brooding, widowed, compassionate cardio-thoracic surgeon and a guarded, nationally acclaimed news anchor with trust issues. Sigh. Here's the thing though: I LOVE these books. I can't explain it. They generally have little to no literary merit, and consist primarily of characters who spend the vast majority of the book thinking what it MIGHT be like to be together, before they come across some sort of obstacle that makes it impossible, and then miraculously overcome the odds and live happily ever after. Of course, that isn't always the case- there are occasionally extenuating circumstances- they might happen to be on board the Titanic, for example.

In spite of all this, I can't help but get caught up in the stories, and if I see one I have not yet stolen from my Aunt Jessica's shelf or borrowed from a Goodwill, I can't help but pick it up and find out what happens. D.S. sure seems to know what she's doing, but I'll be damned if I can figure out HOW she does it.

Wedding Plan Winning.

This is a story about the most amazing wedding menu that there has ever been. In fact, oh mighty blogosphere, I challenge you to think of a time when you have had a more delicious meal at a wedding than the one I am about to describe. But before I get to the absolute amazing-ness that was this meal, and really this wedding as a whole, I must tell you about how I got to said wedding. It was the wedding of my best friend's older sister, which is a trip all in itself, but it also took place in a state that I have not been to- a part of the country that, until last weekend, I had never journeyed remotely toward. To get to this wedding, I had to travel to Colorado. Woahh.


I could take this time to give you all a discourse on the dangers of flying with the airline that I chose. However, in spite of the fact that there were no complimentary beverages offered on board, and that the flight crew was completely unpleasant and proffered such preposterous threats as turning the plane around and returning to the gate upon finding that someone hadn't turned off their cell phone (a behavior that I would not have believed if I had not bee sitting next to the gentleman it happened to...), the flight was cheap AND it is the only airplane I have taken out of LaGuardia to date that has actually left on time. So we'll skip any further elaboration on that.


Rachel's wedding took place in an area of Colorado called Pine. It is a quasi-remote location- the strange looks and repetitions of “Where did you say it was?” from the Denver natives caused me to double check my invitation hundreds of times, but there it was in black and white, PINE, Colorado. In order to get there, you must drive through out of Denver and directly into the mountains- I was pleased that I got to make the trip in the daylight- the sky was incredibly blue, bluer than I have ever seen, due to the higher altitude, and the mountains were amazing- green. Green trees growing out of red, red rock, and sprawling into the sky higher than I could see, even if I craned my neck. And there we were, at a ranch nestled in between a few of the massive rocks. I was encouraged by nearly everybody upon my arrival to make sure and drink plenty of water, and to be honest, I hadn't even noticed the altitude change until I had tried to walk up the bluff to our cabin- I was as out of breath as I had been when I tried to run up the steep sets of stairs that littered the Manayunk hill in Philly. Phew!


I think that my favorite part of the ceremony itself was watching Rachel's new husband, Pat, stomp on the glass and being able to be a part of the excited crowd which shouted “MAZEL TOV!” Ever since I watched “Fiddler on the Roof” as a child, I have anxiously awaited the time in my life where I would be able to replicate that excitement. Don't even get me started on the rest of the ceremony- all it takes is THINKING about seeing Sam in her dress, and her parents trying to hold back their tears and I am all weepy too.


...Which brings us to the reception, and the best meal ever served at a wedding, ever. Are you ready for this?? A little bit of salad (which I only record here to ensure that there WERE veggies present. Sort of..), macaroni and cheese, garlic and herb mashed potatoes, barbeque chicken, pulled pork, and the most delicious, moist, soft, slightly sweet rolls. All comfort food, all the time, all awesome, all helping me ensure that the three glasses of wine I had at high altitude wouldn't render me totally useless. There is a large part of me that wants to copy this menu, right down to the tiny shreds of salad that were pushed to the corner of everybody's plates. Is that a faux pas?

Finished Book Depression

Yesterday morning I started a new book. It was called Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion (and yes, it is the same Warm Bodies that sparked the movie which was released earlier this year). I downloaded it to my kindle and opened to the first page before I left for work. 10 hours later, I was finished, and I couldn't help but feel a little deflated. I knew that later in the night, I would want to read Warm Bodies again, but would have already finished it. And this morning when I woke up, I wanted to read only that particular book- I could start it over again, but it isn't the same.

I felt a little like this...




This happens to me a lot, this sort of finished book depression. I find a book, tear in, lose myself, finish the story, and then don't know what to do. This all usually happens in the course of a day, maybe two. Perhaps I need to read more slowly- only allow myself a certain number of pages a day- to extend my stay in these worlds. Maybe I need to pick books that are longer, which will not only prevent me from finishing too quickly, but also- if I get the hard copy- from carrying it with me everywhere I went. My purse is already heavy enough.

Babs Blips: The Bookshelf.

This long weekend saw some mega cleaning on my part, and some mega lounging on Babs's. Isn't it odd the way that cats always seem to know where you want them least- and suddenly THAT is the ONLY place on earth they can imagine themselves getting comfortable?

After the display on the bottom shelf, Ben decided it might be fun to move her to the top and see what she did. At first she was apprehensive, but eventually realized that THIS was ACTUALLY the only place she could ever be comfortable. Funny how that decision came JUST as I had pulled out the chair to rescue her.

Summer Brain.

This morning I got up and ran 8.74 miles in the park. And as I sat on the couch with ice on my knees, my Stitch pillow pet, and other post-run comforts (more coffee, peanut butter, unsweetened applesauce, etc.), I realized that it has been a while since I blogged. I'll blame the summer- that saucy minx. She sweeps in with her nice weather and the time just flies by- tomorrow it will be July. Crazy.

A few people in the med school dorm next to my building are having a cookout on their balcony. Judging by their continuous presence out there with club music and beer funnels, I am torn between two conclusions. First- that they have passed their boards and are going for one last hurrah before they settle into the madness that accompanies the rest of their med-student career; and second- that they did NOT pass their boards and are preparing for some sort of fall back occupation as nightclub owners.

I think it's the former.



This past week has been unbearably hot. It has been so hot that I have not turned on the oven- even to make dinner. You'd be surprised how innovative I became with cold meals- raw veggie plate, gaspacho, and finally, "ah, screw it, let's get take-out." The weather report alleges rain for this next week. Let's hope that that means we will be able to get dressed in the morning without becoming drenched in sweat. We'll see.

It also occurred to me this week- I am running my second half marathon in about two weeks. I am running the Old Port Half Marathon on July 14th- I get another sweet medal, I get to see my sister, and from what I understand, there is beer at the finish line. Does it GET any better than that? And the commute is actually do-able for Ben this time- he'll be at the finish line also. And J and F. Life is good.

Life is real good.

My Summer Soundtrack

Certain songs remind me of different seasons. It could be that I associate them with part of the year when I listened to it an awful lot, or maybe because there's something about the way that they sound that gives me a particular vibe. For example, the song 'Name' by the Goo Goo Dolls always makes me feel like riding in the car, staring out the window. And it's always at sunset and it's always autumn. Anyway. After some thought I put together a list of songs that- to me- say summer. [I should add that there were originally 18 songs on this playlist, but it was unreasonably long, so I halved it...]


1) Jackson Browne- 'Somebody's Baby'

Baseball dugouts. Fast times. Enough said.

2) Aerosmith- 'Jaded'

There is just something about this song that makes me feel like running across a beach. Only not un a slow motion romance kind of way, more of a 'get me to that ocean I wanna splash and scream and have a picnic' kind of way.

3) The Script- 'Don't Break Even'

Picture it: a co worker and I at what was easily my least favorite job. It was summer and this song played about every five minutes. But don't worry, it's not an earworm- except that yeah, it totally is.

4) The Fray- 'Over My Head'

This song was on a mix cd that Libby made for Sammy in high school. I have distinct memories of riding with Sam to Giffords and getting Peppermint Stick ice cream cones. Which reminds me- I must add 'trip to Giffords' to my list of things to do in Maine this summer.

5) Shakira and Wyclef Jean- 'Hips Don't Lie'

School of Robinson Ballet. Hottest days of the whole summer. Being so overcome with the music and the movement that the humidity was only an afterthought. Shakira Shakira.

6) The Eagles- 'Desperado'

My father loves the Eagles. He's got a bunch of cassettes in his truck. I love riding around with my father. And in the summer, these rides usually involve a trip to the Dairy Queen. We have the same blizzard order. Like Father, Like Daughter.

7) Avenue Q- 'My Girlfriend Who Lives In Canada'

The first time I played this song for my sister, we were in the car on the way to the mall. We laughed until we cried.

8) Third Eye Blind- 'Semi- Charmed Life'

'I believe in the sand beneath my toes/ The beach gives a feeling, an earthy feeling/ I believe in a faith that grows/ And the four right chords can make me cry/ When I'm with you I feel like I could die and that would be all right.

ALL RIGHT!!'

9) Wheatus- 'Teenage Dirtbag'

Bangor High. Best Friends. Green Saturn. Green Jeep. Best Friends. Soul Mates. OOOoooOOOooo.