b squared.

Happy Monday friends! My weekend was chock full of studying. My brain was on the verge of melting last night so I went over to my friend M's for some dinner and some Oscars! I don't want to do a full run down but here are a few of my thoughts...

*I wanted Billy Crystal to take over hosting duties after he came on stage. Anne and James were a really questionable choice, and I think some people may be regretting it the morning after.

*Speaking of James, he couldn't have seemed less enthused to be there. He seemed stoned too, I know a lot of people are saying so.

*So happy for Colin and everyone associated with The King's Speech. Definitely a great, must see movie. I don't think I can say that enough times!

*Halle was my favorite of the night. I don't think she ages at all. She looks the same as she did in the Flinstones movie.

 

*All I could think when I saw Reese was Sister Act. Very nun like color scheme, no?

*I LOVE THE PS22 CHORUS! For those of you that hadn't heard of them before last night, check them out here.

And what do we have on tap for tonight? Bachelor Brad and Bethenny! {I guess that would be B cubed instead of squared huh?} I have already read the spoilers, but I am still excited to see what happens tonight. Brad and the final three girls are off to South Africa. So jealous. I love Bethenny and I can't wait for her new season.

Hope everyone's week is starting off on a good note! 

Cannot believe tomorrow it will March already!

give thanks.

Taking a page out of the book of the fabulous Love, Life Lace by way of another fab girl bun&borough and posting my weekly gratitude on this rainy Friday morning. Happy Friday to all of you, my lovely readers.

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• Thank you to my mother, or as she has recently dubbed herself, the VISA fairy for understanding that financial independence is something I am working towards, but not something that is going to happen immediately upon graduating college.
• Thank you to the 144 of you who read this little blog of mine and reminding me that there is a good chance that what I am feeling or experiencing you have also been through. Especially thanks to those who leave comments. I would love to hear from more of you!
• Thank you to the rain falling outside. While I am usually not the biggest fan of rain, I am happy about it today because it is not cold enough to snow outside.
• Thank you to the emails flooding in with advertisements for warm weather clothing. You are reminding me that there is sunshine on the horizon!
• Thank you to my apartment building for having a washer and dryer on each floor. I can't imagine having to lug everything down to the basement to wash clothes.
• Thank you to friends who always listen, never judge, and provide great advice. 
• Thank you to my head and my heart for finally realizing that sometimes enough is enough. When it gets to be too difficult, you just have to let go.

 Hope everyone has a great weekend! Be thankful for even the smallest things.

non-negotiable.

 

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This past Friday after a little bit a bottle and a half of wine split between a friend and I, we made our way up the the main street in the city where I live. There are a lot of bars on this street, but I don't frequent it much with being in Manhattan most of my weekends. I end up talking to a guy, and due to the excessive wine consumption engaging in some PDA that would not normally be my style in the least. We have been text messaging back and forth which is really in my opinion the worst way to get to know someone because you can't really tell a person's personality much this way. You don't know the inflection in their voice or if they are trying to be funny. Regardless, as the conversations unfold I just find myself getting annoyed and perhaps overly critical. This, my friends, is my modus operandi. Sometimes I think I am too picky, other times I think I just have a very clear picture of who I want to invest my time in and who I think deserves said time. I got to thinking about an episode of Milli*onaire Matchm*aker. Although she can be brash sometimes, I think Patti is a smart woman. She said that you should make a list of your 5 non-negotiables. I have my list, I know what it is that I am looking for. Part of we wonders if I am adhering to the list too strongly? But there's another part of me that says I have every right to be picky. This is my heart we are talking about after all.

Do you ladies have a list of non-negotiables?

in the middle.

Happy Wednesday pals. I am glad that it is Wednesday and not Tuesday. Thank you Presidents Day off. Here's what is up with me today...

*Just about everyone in my office is sick, myself included. I just have a cold so it's not terrible, but it isn't fun either. 

 *i strongly dislike cats, but this made me laugh*

*I am SO excited for the Oscars this weekend! Cannot wait to see the dresses and who takes home the prizes.

*The fact that it was 65 degrees on Friday and three days later I woke up to snow is just not okay with me. Hurry up spring! I am at the end of the patience here. 

*If there is one thing I am going to accomplish this week it is ordering prints for the one bare wall in my apartment. I have had pictures leaning against that wall for almost six months and something must be done.

*I just LOVE the Weddings section of the New York Times. Hopefully some day I will have a blurb about my wedding published, maybe even in the New York Times!

*Hanky*Panky is having a sale on RueLaLa {just received the e-mail}. Upon checking out the boutique, I find that they are selling some sets of three of the same pair of underwear. Why would you want 3 of the same pattern? Strange.

This post makes little to no sense. Blame it on the copious amounts of Emergen-C flowing through my body today.

21.

Today is the day I have been anticipating for quite some time now. If you know what the title of this post is referring to then consider yourself my insta-best friend. No, it isn't anyone's landmark birthday. Today, well last night at around 11:30pm, I was able to finally purchase....

 Adele's new CD 21!

Oh my goodness you guys, she is amazing! Her first CD 19 was literally the soundtrack to my junior year of college. I played it on repeat for days and days. It got me through long hours of studying and a spring semester that found the majority of my close friends spending time abroad. From what I can tell she is beautiful inside and out. She sings so powerfully and so honestly that you can't help but just FEEL when you listen to her sing. In my eyes she can do no wrong. There isn't a bad song on this CD and I will be listening to it on repeat all day today. Get a copy for yourself! Best $9.99 you'll ever spend on iTunes!! :)

looks like we made it.

Yay Friday! It is finally here! High of 62 degrees today! What could be better?! I am not letting myself think about the fact that the temperature is going to be cut in half tomorrow and that there is a chance of snow flurries. Nope, today I am the walking poster child for Seasonal Affective Disorder because I am in SUCH high spirits at this little sneak peek of Spring. Or perhaps that high is coming from the lovely scent of my Lilly perfume.

Anyone else watching American Idol? I have been on the fence about it the past few years. I was even more skeptical of it continuing with the new judges. But after last night's round... holy cow do they have some talent this year! Perhaps we have J.Lo and Steven to thank? Watch this video of Casey*Abrams. Uh-mazing!

My weekend is going to be fairly low key, which is something I really need. My apartment is spewing out piles of clothes and dishes and I need to get caught up on my study schedule. I have a session with my trainer tonight after work. He told me to 'be ready to bring the pain'. I am a little bit terrified. Tomorrow it will be more studying, gyming, and into the city for dinner with some friends. Sunday will probably be a repeat of Saturday minus the dinner. I know in the long run that this exam is something I need to tackle but it has really turned my life into a pile of monotony. Thankfully, this pretty will be on my doorstep when I get home tonight. Happy 6 months of working girl life to me!

Have a wonderful {3 day} weekend everyone!

i've got the magic.

Believing in magic can make amazing things happen.

That was the closing line to my horoscope yesterday. While I don't follow the zodiac religiously, I do have the little pop-up on my Google homepage so some days I read it, some days I don't. Sometimes it is so far off of my life and other days speaks right to the heart. I loved this line yesterday, and today I still do. To all the Virgos out there, make sure you believe! And to everyone else for that matter, because I don't want to deprive anyone of their magic. ;)
 

I cannot believe that yesterday I forgot to comment on the wonderment that was the Bieber episode of Glee. I love teeny pop music, so it is no real surprise that I adore the young blond flipper. I thought the episode was great and I always love when the cast adds their little spin to well known songs. My sister, who knows every line from Rent forwards and backwards, was less than pleased with the remake of Take Me or Leave Me. I didn't hate it. I think next week's episode of them having a house party is going to be great. Any Glee fans out there?

A little clarification on the situation from yesterday's post. I would have no problem going out on a limb and seeing if there is possibly something there. The difficulty comes from the fact that he lives in Manhattan, I don't. So I would be paying for a train ticket, spending an hour round trip on said train, for what could potentially be a horrible evening. I know that is a pessimistic way to look at it, but I'm not feeling any sort of pull from the universe to call him back. Frankly, I don't have that kind of time right now. I think it's sort of a wash at this point...

One of the things I have taken full advantage of in New York City is the day of/day after shopping. There have been countless times where I have stayed at a friend's Friday night, only packed one outfit, and gone out shopping the next day for Saturday night's attire. This past weekend, I didn't pack proper footwear for the day after. I was down in SoHo and stopped in at Topshop to search for some flats. I found these cute things.

I am wearing them today because my feet are really starting to dislike being trapped in socks and boots. Bring on spring and breathable footwear puh-lease!

While I was trying them on I overheard a girl telling her boyfriend that they are authentic ballet slippers. I being an ex dancer was aware of this fact, but I am not sure why she thought he would understand/care. I chuckled to myself. When I got home later that evening, I tossed the shoes into my closet and then noticed this sticker on the soles...

These shoes are traditional ballet construction 

Therefore will not withstand extended outdoor wear

I chuckled again. Hopefully you did too. I wasn't planning on going hiking in these, but I am hoping that they will be able to at least withstand some outdoor wear?

we're halfway there!

*If I had a dollar for every time I listened to Livin on a Prayer while dancing on a wooden stage in a fraternity basement in college, I would have many dollars.*

Happy What's Up Wednesday friends! Only a few more days until the weekend. Here's what has been running around in my mind as of late...

*Only 8 followers away from 150... shall I host another giveaway?!

*Did anyone else watch Wat*son the computer on Jeop*ardy last night? He did great until epically blowing the final question by giving the response of Toronto to a category titled US Cities. I bet IBM is hanging their heads.

*Attempting to work out when you have forgotten your headphones is one of the most difficult things to do. Especially when there is a madman grunting and yelling at the treadmill for not being fast enough and hurrying back and forth between weights and running. I thought he was going to keel over at any second.

*Those of you who have worked with custom blog designers, who do you recommend? I think I want a personalized header for my little corner of this blogosphere. {The fact that blogosphere is not flagged as a mispelled word makes me happy!}

*The bathroom on my floor at work is a strange place. There are four stalls. Do not sit down in the one right next to me if others are available. Anyone else agree? Why be awkwardly close if you don't have to be?

*Walking to my car this morning there was a guy zooming out of my parking lot driving a Hummer. Despite the fact that he almost hit me, who even drives Hummers anymore?

*The US Postal Service is scheduled to close 2000 branches as well as Borders filing bankruptcy. This makes me sad. I am definitely not the best at written correspondence but I am trying! I sent out handwritten holiday cards this year. The same goes for books. I know that Kindles and Nooks are convenient, but I really think that when you need to automate the turning of a page, it may be getting too far.

 

*I am LOOVING this song that played at the end of Grey's*Anatomy last week. I may or may not be the only person still watching this show {aside from my mother}.

*Girl meets boy in bar. Girl feels no spark, but gives boy her number anyways. Boy calls girl and leaves a voicemail. Does there have to be a spark? Am I over thinking this? There should probably have been a little blip though, yes? Any guidance would be more than appreciated. As of now I am leaning towards not returning the call.

thoughts, questions, concerns? xox

blustery.

It was SO lovely out yesterday, despite the wind. I was laying in bed last night listening to the howling against the windows and all I could think about was Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day. Love that little bear. 

 My goodness, another week has already started. My weekend flew by as has been the norm in my life lately. I walk into my apartment on Sunday evenings thinking I have another day off to look forward to until the realization that the next day is in fact Monday. And to add to it... this Monday was Valentine's Day. I know that everyone thinks that single people dislike Valentine's Day because they are alone. On the contrary, I will dislike it regardless of my marital status. It just seems so put on and tacky, but that's just me. Hope those with and without Valentines enjoyed your day yesterday.

 

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 After my trip to the mall Friday evening, this post was exactly what I needed. I almost had a meltdown in the dressing room at Lord and Taylor, but regained my composure, left the mall, and went to the gym as had been my original plan. I am glad that I went and worked out instead of sulking on the couch. Saturday's mall trip was more successful. I got the cutest skirt {in a smaller size than normal, woop!} and top to wear out Saturday night, two shirts from J.Crack, and a sleeve for my MacBook. 

more stripes! i am going to be mistaken for a jailbird pretty soon. also, the pink is NEON, which is hard to tell in this picture.

looove this color! yay warmer weather!

Props to Punxsutawney Phil and his so far so good prediction of early Spring! 
Here's to a great week for everyone!

happy end of the week!

Man oh man this week has been long! I only worked four days and it feels like it has taken an eternity to get to Friday! Last night I went over to my friend A and her boyfriend's apartment for a little dinner party. We felt like such grown ups. She moved to the area around the same time I did, and it is nice to have a friend out here when everyone else is in Manhattan. A made a delicious baked ziti and garlic bread and I made....

 THIS!

I wish I had taken a picture of it after we cut into it so you could see all the layers of goodness. You'll have to take my word for it when I tell you SO YUMMY! Go me! The recipe was simple and it tasted great! The recipe can be found here. I used chocolate graham crackers and french vanilla pudding instead, just a personal preference.

Tonight I am going to take it easy, thus providing me with my first clear headed Saturday morning in quite some time. I've got different piles of clothes scattered all over my apartment and a half unpacked suitcase from last weekend that need to be tended to. I also need to hit the gym {since I ate two pieces of that cake last night} and do some catching up on my study schedule. Saturday I will head into the city for M's brother P's birthday {these letters as people are getting confusing, huh?}. 

And finally... to top of my weekend Sunday the girls and I will be going to a workshop of the sexual variety. I cannot even begin to express to you how out of character this is for me. But there will be free mimosas. Why the heck not? Valentine's Schmalentine's. 

Happy weekend loves! May they be as scandalous as mine!

frustration.

a wee bit of a rant ahead. don't say i didn't warn ya!

I have finally  gotten to a place where I actually ENJOY going to the gym. I like the way I feel afterward and knowing that I did something for me and only me. I can feel my body changing and getting stronger and I can see a difference in the way my clothes are fitting. I am not being obsessive about it but I do feel a little bit of guilt on the days where I don't go, but that's all normal human feeling stuff. I am mostly eating healthy, with the occasional splurge. What I do not see more of is that stupid number on the scale going down. Why am I a so obsessed with that number? Granted I did go away this past weekend so I a) didn't work out and b) drank and ate more than I would have but I did love every second of it. And also granted this is the week of woman troubles so I shouldn't have weighed myself anyways but uggghhhh. I can't help feeling a little bit discouraged. My trainer asked my last night if I had weighed myself and had this not been period week my answer would have been "Oh yea, like 4 times a day" Yes, I know it's crazy. And I know that it is one of the leftover habit of my eating disorder years, but I want so badly for that number to go down. I also want the little tiny number in the back of my jeans to go down. When I go shopping, even though I am fully aware of the fact that different brands are cut differently so my size varies across the board, regardless of how much I love a piece of clothing, if I have to go up a size I REFUSE TO BUY IT. Talk about psycho. I guess the summation of this rant is that I need to learn to not be a slave to the scale. They are just numbers after all. Much easier said than done.

what it is, what's up.

Anyone else remember that song? Some Cut by Trillville. With the bed creaking in the beginning? No?

Moving right along, welcome back to What's Up Wednesday, the weekly brain dump post. I always look forward to these posts and giving you all a little glimpse into the often hard to follow and random thought processes of yours truly. So here we go...

*Quick recap Super Bowl: Aaron Rodgers is the cutest and I am so glad the Packers won! Everyone wants to talk about Big Ben and his road to redemption but winning football games does not make you less of a sexual predator. Sorry. Black Eyed Peas are no good live and there will never be a better halftime show than NSYNC, Aerosmith, Britney, Nelly, and Mary J. I don't care if Christina was nervous, everyone knows the words to the National Anthem. The commercials kind of let me down this year. I NEVER WANT TO HEAR BLACK AND YELLOW AGAIN!

*I have no patience for dumb people. Sorry to put it so bluntly. I was behind a man at the grocery store two nights ago that couldn't figure out that he was holding coupons, not a receipt. He also did not know which register he had just walked away from 5 SECONDS PRIOR. Finally, he didn't know if he had paid for all the things in his bag. And he had done self checkout. Ugh.

*Atlantic City was fun, but tiring. I don't frequent nightclubs and casinos much if ever, so it was kind of like playing dress up. M and L decided they wanted to take a trip to Seaside aka the mecca of the Jersey Shore. I will be bowing out of that trip. Walking along the boardwalk on Sunday in that gorgeous weather was pretty great. I nearly started skipping.

*Nothing could be better than two episodes of Glee in three days. Bills, Bills, Bills was FANTASTIC on Sunday night. I adore Darren Criss (Blaine). Puck and Rachel singing Lady Antebellum? I died. And then last night, was even better! Queen, Michael Jackson, Robin Thicke?! Simply amazing. And yes I realize I sound like a 12 year old fan girl. But it is just that good!

*Lindsay Lohan. What do with this girl? She is just a walking disaster. Although, I can't imagine anyone else getting charged with felony grand theft over a $2500 necklace. Maybe that's a bit harsh? If only she could transform back to The Parent Trap days.

*Took a little trip to the DMV yesterday. I am shocked that my "eye test" consisted of reading one line off a chart from a relatively close distance and I didn't even have to provide proof of residency. Hmmm..

*NEW LADY GAGA SINGLE WILL BE RELEASED ON FRIDAY! I CANNOT WAIT!!!!

Tis all for today folks!

under the boardwalk.

Hi lovelies! I really am crossing my fingers that this groundhog's predictions are going to be accurate. No way could I survive another six weeks of winter. How was everyone's week? Mine seems to have been dragging on and on. The show last night was fun! Small venue, questionable crowd, atmosphere similar to a fraternity basement, and $5 beers? Sure, why not! As I mentioned earlier, after work today I am off to Atlantic City for the weekend. If you don't hear from me after this weekend its because I won the big bucks! One of my co-workers is off to Vegas so we decided that one of us needs to win, and we will pool our winnings! Wouldn't that be fantastic? 

So I finally registered for my exam at the end of March. I am so nervous you guys. It is a hard test with only about a 38-40% passing rate. There are no consequences for not passing {other than having to again pay the $200 registration fee}. I have a self guided online seminar that I am using and from what I can gather off the message boards, most people that use this program do well. My problem is that I am in control of how often I study and I know I am a habitual procrastinator. Not only that, but I DON'T KNOW HOW TO STUDY! Sad, huh? I coasted through high school and graduated with a near perfect GPA. I got to college where they don't offer a How to Study 101 course {which would have been greatly appreciated} so I really struggled for 4 years. Unfortunately now, to stay in this field I have to take a series of exams for the next 5-7 years. I would equate these exams to taking a graduate level course, with no professor, and one test to determine your fate. UGH, terrifying! 

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If any one has any suggestions/tactics/magic spells they could pass along my way to improve my study skills they would be greatly appreciated! I know that  you're all a big group of smartie pants people!

Bon weekend friends!

heeey, heeeey, i said hey.

"What's going on?"

I made it to Wednesday! And I am hoping all of you did as well. :) NO thanks to this ice/sleet/rain mess going on outside. I has HAMMERING away at the inch of ice coating my car this morning and of course my scraper broke and of course the snow on the ground was coated with ice so I was sliding around then of course the sleet turned to rain and I am now sitting at my desk with wet hair. Comical, no? 

The return of What's Up Wednesday is upon us. I didn't have much to post about last week so What's Up took a bit of a hiatus but here we are again. Get readyyy!

*Much fun is on tap for this weekend. Tomorrow night I am going to a concert with L in the city. We are seeing 2AM Club. Check them out, they are awesome {and quite attractive!} Friday after work L, Ma, Me, and I {poor L surrounded by M's} are headed to ATLANTIC CITY for the weekend. I have never been, and I am not much for gambling or night clubs or New Jersey for that matter {sorry} so one would really question why I am going. I don't have an answer but it will be fun! 

 

*I cannot wait until Sunday! I always LOVE the Super Bowl commercials. Last year's were pretty good. And to make Super Bowl Sunday even better, Glee comes back! What a winning combination! I am totally rooting for the Packers, because I loathe the Steelers and they have already won 6 times. Sharing is caring dudes!

*Nicole and Keith and their secret baby. Hmm. I can understand their desire for privacy but it all seems a bit strange. And let's stop referring to this woman as a "gestational carrier". Can't they call her a surrogate like the rest of the common folk do?

*Egypt. While I try to steer clear of politics on this blog, I will say one thing that I have always thought. Why does America feel that its place in this world is to be the champion of democracy? I am not the least bit politically or government minded but I do wonder sometimes who put is in charge of telling other countries that they need to make changes.

*If you ladies are not reading The Frenemy, you really must. SHE IS HYSTERICAL!

*According to Refinery29, the cause for my single status may be the layout of my apartment and the lack of good feng shui. If only I had a guy to help me move my furniture. Oh wait... Therein lies the problem.

*Apparently the groundhog did not see his shadow! Yay! According to one of the men in the funny hats when it was suggested that Phil might be trying to make us feel better he said, "There is no question that Phil is capable of feeling empathy. But he is absolutely incapable of error." Riiiight.

Stay warm out there everyone! Or if you are somewhere warm, please don't tell me about it because I will be uber jealous.