thoughts are king

Movin' On Up

Leaving this joint, heading over to tumblr. (I hear it's where all the cool kids hang out.)

fall day + picnic in the park = an ideal saturday

loving ...

• this hot little dish i whipped up last night for Ward and I (hidden beneath the plethora of stir fry-style veggies is a perfectly-pink portion of salmon prepared in a foil pocket in my mini oven. yumm ... )
• the fact that it's the Friday before a long Labor Day weekend ... oh and the fact that it's *Denim Day* in the office doesn't hurt either.
• the temperate 70-degree, sunny, minimal clouds, zero rain, perfect breeze weather that has descended over the 'Burgh for the last week and doesn't appear to be going anywhere too soon.
• the busy (good kinda busy) month I'm having that before I know it will usher in October, equipped with it's autumn leaves, crisp smells and vibrant leaves.
• half day Fridays that will wrap up at noon, followed by a road trip to Philly for the weekend, full of shopping, relaxing and more shopping ... wheeee ... !

    

home. sweet. home.

Welcome to my humble abode ... 

living room.

wood-paneled t.v. on antique desk posing as entertainment stand.

wall of clocks (ward's idea).

"office."

the "study."

antique hoosier cabinet, equipped with combination flower-bin/sifter.

antique bread box and faux-antique toaster.

great built-ins ...

"sunroom."

yep, no dishwasher :(

old, old window.

bathroom.

make-shift shoe closet.

bedroom.

bedroom wall of windows (check out grams, circa 1941).

t.v. armoire ...

dresser.

Since March 15, 2009, I:

• got promoted on my one-year anniversary with the firm from an assistant-level position to a coordinator-level position.
• experienced four of my friends (one best, two close and the fourth more high school than current) getting engaged.
• (relating back to previous bullet) have been asked to be a bridesmaid in my bestie's upcoming wedding and, consequently, have embarked on the fun-filled (and obscenely overpriced) world of wedding planning.
• mourned over finishing the last installment of "Twilight," but later realized my fierce love for HBO's "True Blood" — a show I don't have to feel nearly as embarrassed about being obsessed with due to the fact the target audience is NOT preteen girls.
• witnessed my wonderful boyfriend, Ward, finally catch up with me and graduate from college (Yippee!)
• moved out on my own … to my very own adorable, little, city apartment — that's right kids, all alone, 100% independent, no roommates, no RA, no mom cooking dinner, no brother to share a bathroom with … decorate my way … cook my way … live my way!

In the nearly five months that I last posted, a sure lot more has happened than what can be summed up in the above six bullet points, but perhaps the general theme of what's been transpiring as of late is clear — I think it's fair to say, "I'm-a growin' up!"

Last summer at this time, I was a bit shell-shocked from the transition of full-time college student, to full-time worker. There have been some amazingly exciting times since then and some amazingly scary times since then (namely and recently — spending my first night alone in my 100 year old apartment). I would be first to say that change can be shocking, especially when you love your nice, cozy, warm and safe situation and there's no real need to disrupt it, but I also think change can be liberating, confidence-building and, most of all, down-right fun.

Suffice it to say, the last five months have been important stepping stones to where I'm at today. I'm proud and excited of both my own personal accomplishments and the accomplishments of my lovelies surrounding me. But more than anything, I'm excited about what comes next!

Ain't she pretty?

"He's cute, BUT he gets DWUNK!"

First, may I begin this post by saying I once had braces and I find people with lisps endearing.

Now, with that said ... I was at the gym this evening, all finished up with a good workout, hanging out in the women's locker room, just about to get in the shower, when two prepubescent tweens (I'd say they we're about 13ish) came into the locker room, fresh from swim practice, soaked and reeking like chlorine. As I was getting my things in order to hop in the shower, I couldn't help but over hear the one excitedly tell the other one "Come look at my phone!"

Now, my description really isn't going to give this interaction the justice it deserves, but picture if you can a preteen, sporting a purple Speedo one-piece, matching purple braces, possible stuffy nose and definite lisp.

So, Braceface says to the other girl, "I have pictuwes on my phone of all the Twilight boys!" The other tween begrudgingly waddles over to Lispy and says, "Ugh, I still haven't seen that movie." To which One-piece says, "It's OK, just look how HOTT these guys awe!"

Purple-urple then proceeds to go through each photo naming the actors' names in the movie. Following each photo, the girls, completely in unison, would squeal, "O-M-G (literally, the letters, not what they stand for), he's sooo CUTE/HOTT/GORGEOUS!"

About four photos in, Speedo-gal, says, "ANNNND ... this is Wob Pattinson (Rob Pattinson) who plays Edwawd Cullen (Edward Cullen) in the movie. He's cute, BUT he gets DWUNK!" (If you haven't figured it out yet, she struggled with her "R's.")

Other girl replies, "Wait, he gets drunk in the movie?"

Stuffy says, "No! He gets DWUNK in life! All. The. Time. Him and Kwisten Stewawt (Kristen Stewart, a.k.a., Bella Swan for fans) awe ALWAYS on TV and in magazines dwunk, fallin all ova demselves!"

Other girl responds, "Oh. That's dumb. Let's get showers now, we smell."

I don't know why, but the whole thing kinda made my day.

The desire's there, but the time is not ... I SWEAR!

I want to blog, really I do, but things have been, well in a word INSANE lately. Besides the fact that the head of our department's last day is tomorrow, two people (TWO!) from my teeny-tiny department got laid off last week! Besides the complete and utter shock of losing two co-workers/friends, there's a butt load of work that needs to be diveed-up. UGH! I'll say it again, "I hope this all pays off at review time in May."

Other than that craziness, I have a few exciting things to look forward to:

• Tax return should arrive next week, which (as I've also already mentioned) means new MACNOTEBOOK, yay!

• 23rd b-day next Thursday, which means 5-day trip to Las Vegas with some of my favorite ladies, yay!

• Pittsburgh Marathon May 3 that I've decided to partake in, which means intense conditioning needs to start ASAP, yikes!

I think that's it, for now at least. I should probably stop blogging and get back to working considering the stomach-churning smell of "layoffs" is still lingering in the air :(

No time, no time ...

• Work has been kicking my butt as of late ... kicking my butt in a "good, you feel like you're really contributing to the team, this better pay off at review time" -kind of way.
• I was told this morning that my boss — not my immediate boss but head of my department — is leaving. She called me into her office to tell me in person. Apparently she announced it to everyone in the department on Friday, but I was off. This woman is probably one of the coolest, most successful, hardworking people I know. Oh, and did I mention? She's 33. I'm very much going to miss her. Selfishly, I'm worried about who's going to replace her. Things are not going to be the same without her :(
• Last night I filed my taxes, on my own! Definitely not a big deal to some, but to me, HUGE! Now it's only time before I receive that glorious return and can FINALLY purchase that Macbook I've been eyeing up!
• Valentine's Day was lovely. Ward and I took Friday off and headed up to the mountains for a fun-filled weekend of skiing ... but not before first having these beautiful bad boys delivered to me at work Thursday ...

    Hats off to Ward. Well done mi love.

Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend!

Holy Moly, D'em Did It Again!

In case you live under a rock, the mighty Stillers made da 'Burgh proud last night by winning their 6th (count 'em, six!) Super Bowl!

The local radio stations are abuzz; the normal hellish drive to work was, dare I say, pleasant; co-workers are beaming with excitement; and, can you believe it, even the typical cold, gray skies of the Steel City are bright and warm (relatively speaking).

Is it slightly pathetic a football win can have such an affect on the lives of so many? Perhaps. But then again, this is Steeler Nation; the city bleeds black and gold.

I may not be as fanatic of a fan as some of my fellow Pittsburgh-ers, but anything that can add a little kick in peoples' step and a spark of pride in their eyes, I'm all for.

Today is a proud day in my city of champions.

 

Hefty Harrison hauled ass an impressive (and record-setting) 100 yards for a touchdown!
(Photo courtesy of The New York Times)

 

In other news, Phil apparently saw his shadow. Happy Groundhog's Day everyone!