Hello Cupcake

What could be better than cupcakes in the summer? Let's be honest here, what could be better than cupcakes ever? If you know me you know how much I love them. How could you not?! They are cute, they are small and they are cake-basically they are perfect. Have a bad day? A cupcake will make it better. Celebrating? A cupcake is a perfect way to. Like I said, perfect. So imagine my excitement when one of my end of the year presents from a student was a gift card to Georgetown Cupcake! (give that kid an A) So, Sheila and I decided to make an event of it. The plan? Walk to Georgetown from VA square and enjoy the yummy goodness. Why the 6 mile walk you ask? Um, duh, walk off the calories sister (i.e. you can have two cupcakes instead of one!). So we walked, stood in line for 20 minutes, and entered the shop. Oh the smell of cupcakes, it's like childhood. Grabbed a twelve pack and headed home. We decided to stop at Starbucks, grab a coffee and dig in. Well, then I opened the box. Apparently hot sun and being jostled around equals melty cupcakes. (see photos above) That's okay, I can work with this. The plus here? Getting to lick the frosting off my fingers. (see previous childhood comment) Sweet sugary happiness! May I recommend the lemon berry and red velvet cupcakes? (That's right people I had two cupcakes and a cup of coffee for lunch)

Bring out your inner child people, the result is perfection.

California Dreamin'

Plane tickets: check.

Hotel Reservations: check.

Rental Car: check.

Bungee Jump Reservation: check.

Excitement: check!

YAY for vacation!

Penance

This morning, the morning of my last day of work after 6.5 years at a company of despair, and I can't get it together.

My morning ,in haiku:

Tiny mints, scattered
Teeth Brushed? Oops. Forgotten. Gross.
Spoiled milk in coffee.

I hope this afternoon goes better.

I Love My Boys

I love that my boyfriend played first base last night. I love that he hit his 297th home run last night and scored his 1000 RBI. You did good Papi, you did good.

I love more that I was there to see it. Papi and Varitek hitting homers, Papelbon coming in to pitch in the 9th, and OMG Nick Green almost getting taken out by a broken bat! When is the last time you saw a bat fly at a shortstop?! Admittedly a slow at the start, it turned out to be a good game. The nationals actually held their own and gave my boys a game to play.

As I sat back watching the action, beer in hand, the sunset over the stadium and the Washington monument and I was once again reminded why I love this city. It could have only been better at Fenway...

I lied

I do have one complaint re: the champagne bar.

The champagne hangover. Most expensive hangover ever.

Eat, Drink, Eat, Drink...

Today, my team surprised me with pizza in the park. There are few better surprises than me:
1. not cooking my own lunch
2. enjoying the rare sunny and warm day in London
3. eating pizza. I don't think I need to elaborate

Tonight, I am headed to the Champagne Bar at St. Pancras (or St. Pancreas as my friends like to call it). It's the longest champagne bar in Europe. I have no complaints.

Last week, it was to Vinopolis for a wine tasting and tour. Needless to say, I am quite bummed to leave such a fun team. But quite happy to get home and get my liver and ass back into shape.

2 more days of work. You can do it!

This is Fun!

I love you camera...

I haven't had time to do any serious picture taking, but this isn't bad for my first shot.

and thank you Kara for introducing me to Picnik...

Bringing Home Baby

That's right, your eyes didn't fool you- it says bringing home baby. Today I brought home my brand new baby, the Canon Rebel T1i. Let me tell you, this is one BEAUTIFUL baby. I am in LOVE. For me buying expensive toys is like having a child, it's a HUGE commitment. I treat my cameras like my babies. I handle them with great care, I don't like other people touching them, (I will hover over you if I do in fact allow you to pick up my babies) I tell them I love them...which is strange I know, but I do love them!
I was plagued with many decisions. Decision #1: what type of camera to buy. It's like picking your baby's name and learning their personality. I own a Canon Rebel 35mm SLR film camera and have always loved it, but I was tempted to have an affair with Nikon. The D90 was calling to me, but the price tag was hard to choke down. So then there was the possibility of the brand new D5000 that my good friend Kara recently welcomed into her family...what to pick?! So, being me, I did my research- hours of it on-line, and still could not make up my mind. So I headed to Penn Camera to see what advice they would give me. A very wonderful (and patient) salesmen allowed me to sprawl out numerous cameras on the counter and kindly helped me decide. The D90 was my first look. I told him that the price tag made me want to throw up a little (note to self, you do not have to say EVERYTHING that you think out loud). It's one step below professional. Do I know how to use a camera? yes. Have I taken classes? yes. But I am a mid-level not an advanced armature. So D90, you're out. Maybe someday. Then onto the D5000- me likey. Many of the same perks of the D90, but a little more user friendly. Then he brought out my baby. So we had a little comparison of the Nikon and the Canon. The two cameras were pretty equivalent. Great, now it's harder to decide. Both cameras are the newest additions to their respective families, both have nice LCD screens, and easy to use functions, but my Canon has a 15.1 megapixal resolution compared to the 12.3 on the Nikon. Point for Canon. I know Canon and all of the Camera icons. Point 2. My current lenses are compatible. Point 3. The salesman said he would choose the Canon (and he has like 50 Nikon cameras or something of his own). Match point. Come to mama.

So I tucked her safely into my passenger seat and brought her home. I ordered a new stroller to carry her around in and lovingly took her out of the box.

Welcome home baby, you're mama is so proud!

WTF?

Red Line. Why? This is not the first time this has happened. We do not have an extensive rail network that needs maintaining. Fix this stuff now. Before more people die because of it.

Summertime and The Livin is Easy

So it's done. My last day of work was yesterday, and I will admit that I had to wipe a tear. It was sad to leave my classroom, it was sad to leave the ladies I work with, and I was esp. sad to leave my co-teacher and my kiddies. I am however glad to have a summer, starting ASAP.

The last day of school calls for a celebration, so a bunch of us headed out to MexiCali Blues for some yummy food and, drum roll please...Pomegranate Margaritas. I was one happy girl :) Might I add that my friends are hysterical? I mean really funny, like side splitting, pee your pants hysterical and that's not just the margaritas talking. I sat back and realized how lucky I am; I love having those moments that you just wanna add to your mental photo album. As if a great dinner wasn't enough we then headed out for some yummy gelato at Boccato. You know a place is good when there is a line out the door ( and when you can snag some pineapple basil goodness).

How do you end a perfect night? You head back to my apartment to play a little Mario Cart, which I suck at. What's the fun in being bad you ask? It brings on more laughs, which can never be bad.

It's summertime and my livin' is easy baby, and man am I glad.

One more friday!

I have one more week left at work and I am so excited. Everyone keeps asking me if I am going to cry and I think that I give them all the same look, which is a melange of confusion, disbelief, amusement with a sprinkling of disdain.

Folks, listen up and listen hard. I like my colleagues, they are good, smart, fun people. But I really hate my job. And I do not agree with the ethic of my company. So, no, I'll not be weeping. I am sorry if you all feel that tears are the appropriate reaction to this time in my life, that you somehow feel slighted by my lack of sadness/nostalgia. I will not be bullied into faking emotional attachment. It's weird.

HOLLA!

Got a job today!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2nd grade here I come.

Kindergarten see you on the flip side.

Bring it summer. Bring it!!!!

Countdown. Do it Now.

I only have one more monday in my work schedule. Two more team meetings. Thank Moses.

The end is so close, I can almost smell it.

Week in Review

This week:



Sunday: My mother gave me the birds and bees talk. Really? REALLY? I am 29, isn't it a little late for that? Also, um did I miss the part where I have even been on a date recently? Let's not put the cart before the horse mother.



Monday: Metro you suck. You suck more and more everyday. I could not be more glad that I only have one more week of dealing with you. Is it impossible for you to check your trains to make sure they are working properly before you send them out during morning rush hour? You off load my train and then it takes me 6 passing trains to finally get on one. 30 minutes late for work.



Tuesday: Does anyone remember the 'Pat' skit from Saturday Night Live? Well someone who resembles 'Pat' was in my classroom interviewing for a summer position. 'Pat' claimed to be a he. 'Pat' was clearly a she. Best comment? One of my students whispers to me "Is that a boy or a girl?" Good thing he didn't get the job, the kids would have eaten him alive. Awsome part of the day? I got a job inteview. Score!

Wednesday: It is nice and sunny outside now which means I have to put sunblock on all of the kids before we go outside. Yes, I have to rub sunblock on the arms, legs and faces of 18 children. FML.

Thursday: I honestly can't even remember Thursday. At all. This is not a good sign. I baked cookies, that is basically what I remember. They were a particularly kick ass batch, so I guess Thursday was good.

Friday: So we planned a pot luck followed by an IMAX movie for all of our students and their families. I was with the children from 8:30 a.m. until 9 p.m. I think that says it all. I will admit that it was fun, but at the same time that is one damn long day. I went to bed at 10 p.m. I am so cool.

Saturday: I got my hair did and my mother gave me a fist bump. When did my mother become at 20 something year old male? Also, I have pink eye. Awesome. Even more awesome? I have a job interview on Monday. Job interview with pink eye, that just screams hire me doesn't it?

Last Dance

In Paris. On my last business trip. I really can't imagine a better ending to my traveling sagas. In one of my favorite cities with some old colleauges from the US office. Can't wait to just kick back and have a nice glass of wine with them.

Updated: I have spoken too soon. Because, of course, the speaker's wife has gone into labor, half of the materials are missing or out of order. Glass of wine delayed, bastards.

Fresh Hell.

I am currently listening to my downstairs neighbors playing a duet of 'Isn't She Lovely'.

On guitar...


And RECORDER.

Oops.

Last night, I stabbed myself in the hand. It was not fun. And it occured to me that I have no idea what to do in a "crisis" (admittedly, it wasn't really a crisis but just go with it).

I was trying to take the pit out of an avocado and I missed and all of the sudden there was a knife sticking out from my hand...not deep but still ew. So, I thought for a second (knife still in)...there are a couple of options here.

1. Pull the knife out, nothing happens, mini blood + band-aid = finish cooking dinner.
2. Pull the knife out, lots of blood, don't get it on the carpet and...ummm...huh.

I have no idea where to go to get stitches. I wouldn't even know how to call an ambulance if I needed one because I never paid attention to that when I moved here. I figure I would have gone through about 10 iterations of phone numbers before one of them was useful. Do you go to the emergency room for stitches? Is there such a thing here? There must be.

And so, I pulled the knife out. And wrapped my hand up in TP (cause that's the level of first aid kit I have in the house). And I just went about my evening...I figured if I bled through my make-shift bandage, I would figure it out then.

It's about 14 hours later. Still alive. So...I win.

I am...

supposed to be writing developmentals (a.k.a report cards), heading upstairs for a run, returning emails and phone calls this evening.

I am instead...

watching The Devil Wears Prada, drinking a glass of wine, and enjoying an amazing thunderstorm.

nice.