On The Move

Always around New Year's people start making lists: The Best XYZ of 2008, Resolutions Kept/Failed, Best Celebrity of 2008, Worst Celebrity of 2008, etc. etc. etc. With the New Year just around the corner, I thought it would be appropriate for me to make a list of my own.

Reasons Why I haven't Blogged In Almost A Month:

1. It's beginning to look, no wait, it was looking a lot like Christmas! Parties, shopping, work, working out to fit in the Bandage dress. (Yes, it happened! Pics coming soon.)
2. Working out, even more, to fit in that dress. It took a ton of work people!
3. Drama. Drama. Drama. I have not had internet in my apartment since the day after my last post, due to the drama.
4. Packing to move. Yes, I'm moving, rather unexpectedly. The details of the vendors I used will come later, once I get everything unpacked and settled.
5. During the holidays I went to see the parentals and was gone for almost a week.

So that's my list. As I mentioned, I'll be posting more but hope you guys have a GREAT, safe, New Years!

State Farm Is On Your Side

Over the Thanksgiving Holiday, my sister and I were laughing about how many times she's locked her keys in her car. I was like "Tee hee! I haven't done that in years." Yeh, that is until last night. I came home after my soccer game and got my keys, locked the door, got my soccer bag out of the trunk and remembered I need to get something else out of the front seat. Not thinking (aka too busy yakking on the phone with Casey - shout out!), I locked the car with the keys on the driver's seat. CRAP!

Of course the first person I called was my sister. When she's done this, her insurance has paid for the locksmith. Since we both have State Farm, I needed to know what I needed to do so I didn't have to pay for my own idiot mistake.

Here's how State Farm rocks my socks off: with my policy, they will pay up to $80 for any "Roadside Assistance." All I had to do was scan my receipt and email to my agent. The check went in the mail today. ROCK. STAR. Woo woo!

Part 2 of my story is how Pop-A-Lock is my new hero. The last time I dealt with a locksmith I was seriously scarred for life. Not only was he ghetto as heck, but he drove a complete beater that I really don't see how it was street legal and charged me nearly $200. (At the time I had no choice but to pay it.) Pop-A-Lock had a very pleasant dispatcher and after I placed the request, the technician (or whatever you call the locksmith service people) called within 5 minutes and let me know his ETA. And then he actually showed up when he said he would!

He showed up in a clean mini-van, was very professional and completed the job within 10-15 minutes. I could not have asked for better service, much less at 11 o'clock at night! The best part is they only charged me $55! So now I'm headed to get a spare key made. It probably won't kill me to get one, just in case.

Way to go State Farm and Pop-A-Lock!

Today Jen Lancaster posted a blog entry regarding where her fans would potentially like to see her on tour next summer for her newest book, "Pretty In Plaid." A few weeks ago I mentioned her new book will be out in May 2009.

Naturally I immediately posted a comment about her coming to Dallas. After I entered the security code, I never saw my comment pop up. I wrote another little note begging her to come to Dallas. Well apparently they both posted and I am now 2 for 2 in being a blubbering idiot when dealing with Jen Lancaster. Crap. (To see my written word vomit, check out the comments here. Mine are at the 1:46 and the 1:34 time stamps.)

The plus side of my embarassment is that I found a new blog to follow! First Class to Hell is written by two ladies, Val and Parker, that have been best friends since the 80's. So far from what I've read, they are Harsh. Brutal. and Awesome. Here's an excerpt of Val's opinion of The Real Housewives of The OC:

Gretchen: 30-year old money-grubbing gold digger doesn't even scratch the surface. It's not like that old dude that she is with is Mr. Personality - the ficus tree on my back patio has more personality than that Kenny Roger clone. Sadly, he has Leukemia, and I wouldn't be surprised if she has the "Leukemia count down clock" loaded on her laptop - counting down the days when she is the "hottest widow in Orange County".

Whammy! When I get more time I'm MUST read more of this blog!

On The Second Day Of Christmas

I know I'm late on the Christmas activity list, but I promise it's coming. In the mean time, here is my attempt to make up for it. Trust me, you'll be glad I like you! Today, and for the next 11 days, Sigels Liquor Stores are having awesome sales.

Today, and TODAY ONLY, from 4-9pm the Greenville Avenue location is having 20% off EVERYTHING! Everything includes all the booze, merchandise, steaks, etc. Talk about start your Holiday Drinking Engines!

Sigels Greenville is located at 5757 Greenville Ave, Dallas, Texas 75206. (214) 739-4012

If you miss today's sale, don't sweat! Now thru December 13th, every Sigels location is having the "12 Days of Christmas" wine sale. Each day they feature different categories of wine and offer them for 20% off. For instance, today they are showcasing wines from Chile and Argentina. Wine types include Malbec, Cabernet, Carmeniere, Chardonnay, Torrontes, Syrah and many more.

Nice wine is always a great gift for the boss, in-laws, Secret Santa, etc. Sigels would be the perfect spot to pick up those gifts for less! For additional information, visit Sigels website http://www.sigels.com/index.php.

Happy Turkey Day!

I'm sure you're all VERY interested in whether or not I ran the entire 3 mile Turkey Trot. Drum roll please...

I did! I did! Last night I was a bit nervous about whether or not I'd be able to run the entire 3 miles since I have trouble running outside. (I've become a treadmill girl.) Oh yeh, I finished in 33 minutes. Holla! Running it was awesome!

Anywho, Happy Thanksgiving everybody! Hope you have a great day with family and friends. And GO COWBOYS!!!

Soap On A Rope

This is my sassy horse/soapbox/disclaimer: Peeps, Christmas comes after Thanksgiving!!! The tree, the decorating, the Christmas music, etc. etc. etc. needs to stay in the attic til after Turkey Day. That is my opinion, I am entitled to it, and I will share it if I want to.

With that said, Friday morning I will post my list of fun Christmas activities in Dallas. Of course, as I find out about more cool stuff, I'll update the list. If I don't hop back on here before Friday, hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving!

I Want An Oompa Loompa NOW!

I'm channeling my inner Veruca Salt today. Why you ask? Jen Lancaster's new book is now on Amazon, but it won't be released until May 5th, 2009. Such a tease! I seriously do not want to wait til MAY!!! but apparently I have to. Bah!

Here's the cover for her new book, "Pretty in Plaid: A Life, a Witch, and a Wardrobe, or, the Wonder Years Before the Condescending,Egomanical, Self-Centered Smart Ass Phase"

Potluck Season

If you work for a company like mine, and many others in the US, a potluck is the favorite option for (smaller) company holiday meals. With this hodge-podge of a food extravaganza, it's never easy to decide what to make and how much to make. Here is a yummy dessert solution that my mom used to make for us when I was a child.

Momma G's Dumpcake Cobbler - (I can never remember if it's technically dumpcake or cobbler so I made the executive decision on the name.)

2 Cans Of Fruit In Own Juice, Fruit Cocktail, Pineapple, Pear, etc. (with it being in it's own juice, it's a bit healthier than the more sugary options.)

1 Box White Cake Mix (can be plain white mix or coconut or another flavor but white looks most appealing.)

Butter or Margarine

1. Lightly cover 13"x9" with non-stick cooking spray.
2. Empty canned fruit and juice into pan.
3. Sprinkle cake mix on top of fruit.
4. Evenly place small tabs of butter or margarine on top.
5. Bake on 350 degress for 40 minutes to 1 hour.

Adding nuts, coconut, or additional fruit is optional.

Shout Out!

Several previous posts have mentioned my good friend Chelsea and her passion for helping the non-profit Attitudes and Attire. Most recently I wrote about her new business venture where she makes, and sells, custom-made aprons.

A few weeks ago, Karyn Bosnak asked her blog readers to submit their small businesses/crafty friends for her Holiday Shopping list that she posts on her blog. Guess who submitted their wonderful friend Chelsea? Guess who made #4 on the list? WOOOOOOO YAY!!! I am totally stocked! I really, really, really hope Chels gets some awesome business from the Pretty In The City Blog. (As a side note, aka tooting my own horn, the description of Chelsea's company is EXACTLY what I submitted. I wrote that!)

Anywho, here's the link to the "Pretty In The City: Holiday Shopping 2008."

Congrats Chels!

Gobble, Gobble

T-Minus 4 days and counting for the Turkey Trot. I've been working my butt off to try and be able to run the 3 mile race this year. Finally last week I was able to hit 3 miles with NO walk breaks! Talk about getting over a hurdle! I'm totally excited.


The end of last week I went to Luke's Locker and registered for the T Trot. I got wrapped up in my own excitment and bought a pair of running shorts. Actual running shorts. No more ackward positioned shorts for me, no sir!


As far as the Bandage Dress deadline, an official date has been set: December 19th. That's when I'm going to wear that bad boy. After Thanksgiving Day I'm going to keep running for cardio, but I'm going to step up the weight training as well. I need to check to see if there are any 5Ks in the next few months.


Anywho, that's about it for right now, but I'll be back with more later!

Ghost of Weekends Past, Present and Future

Weekend Past


Even though this weekend is almost here, I gotta tell ya about my last weekend. My friend Amy (shout out!) and I went to a fairly new bar called Black Friar Pub. We've been to this place before and sat at the bar. It was pretty fun last time so we thought we'd try it again. The bar is the best seat in the house. When it gets really crowded, we can still grab the bartender and get our beverages. There is a fun crowd and you never know who you'll run into.
Black Friar Pub - 2621 Mckinney AveDallas, TX 75204(214) 953-0599


Saturday morning my friend Nicole (shout out!) and I volunteered at the Alzheimer Association's Memory Walk at the Dallas Zoo. It was a super early morning, but totally worth it! We ended up having a great time and met some fun people. The whole thing got me really excited about the pubcrawl. The walk raised $300,000 and it is very encouraging and I can't wait to raise as much money as possible.


Saturday night a group of us went to the House of Blues to see the band Who's Bad? Who's Bad? is a Michael Jackson cover band. I got free tickets at Tasti Delight and thought it would be absolutely hilarious to go. It was hilarious, but it was one of the most entertaining concerts I've ever been to! They did everything from 70's and 80's MJ and even did a Jackson 5 set. It. Was. AWESOME! I do have a soft spot in my heart for the song "You Are Not Alone." By best friend since 7th grade used to sing that song in the back of English class. Gotta love it!

Weekend Present

Tonight a group of us girls are going to join the masses and go see the new movie "Twilight." I haven't read the books, but if I like the movie, I imagine I'll have a new series. I just can't imagine enjoying a book about vampires; however, that's what I thought about Harry Potter and I Loved. Loved. that series.

After the movie, a few of us will head to Club Dada in Deep Ellum for a show. I really excited to see Black Joe Lewis and the Honey Bears again. In addition to Black Joe Lewis, I'm really excited to hear my buddies Spammie and Jeff in their band Les Americains. They're a rock band with more melodic tunes. Don't take my word for what kind of music they play, as I'm NOT a music guru, but come check em' out! Tickets can be purchased at the door or online at frontgatetickets.com. If you purchase a ticket online, it's $19.

Weekends Future

For Turkey Day Weekend, I'm in town on Thanksgiving, but then headed to San Anton with the fam. I will totally be fat when I return. And I will love it.

That's about all I got for right now, but I'll write more soon. Promise! Oh yeh, I'll post a Turkey Trot/Bandage Dress update later this afternoon.

SecretTweet

One of my favorite blogs, Pretty In The City, had this on her blog today.

SecretTweet

So I went to the site and now I feel insanely guilty! Like I heard something I shouldn't have and it would really hurt someone's feelings if they knew that I now know. Sheesh! If peeps wanna post something that personal on the internet, go for it, but I'm not going to read it because I don't want to feel bad for your problems!

Would you ever post something on this site?

If The Dumpster's A Rockin'

It has been quite a while since I blogged about the drug dealers across the street. They were AWOL for a while but are back, with some new friends.

The construction across the street is getting closer and closer to being finished on a daily basis. I guess the new apartment company didn't like the ghetto fence that surrounded the dumpster area. Last week some people started tearing down the old fence and on Sunday they started building a new one. I'm not thinking they were the best fence builders in Dallas because it took them all day. ALL day. They were still sawing and nail-gunning at 11pm. Is it bad that I called the cops for a noise disturbance? I couldn't sleep! Fine, deal your crack, but when you disrupt my sleep that's where I draw the line!

Now there's a bigger problem: how am I going to spy with the new fence?

Tis The Season...

For eating! YEH! Despite all my recent "bandage dress" efforts, I have absolutely NO intention of holding back during the holidays. However, the exponential growth my butt will experience later this year is not what this blog is about.

This time of year is known for all the cooking and baking and time spent in the kitchen. When that much time is spent in the kitchen, it is inevitable that things will spill. On the cook. Well, my friend Chelsea (shout out!) has a great solution! She has started a custom apron company.

Chelsea designs and makes each apron. No two aprons are alike and can be made to order. If you, or a loved one, has a special vintage piece of fabric (table clothes and dish towels work great) Chelsea will create a special item for just you.

The best part of her company is that she donates 20% of the profits to Attitudes and Attire tm. These aprons make great gifts and are very functional. Perfect for this time of year! Check out her company website here. It also links to her Etsy page where you can view the aprons available for purchase and buy them!

Want to get a jump on your Christmas shopping? This aprons are great for the lovely ladies in your life! (Take a hint boys.)

SIDE NOTE: All the photography on Chelsea's site was done by Jenny Leigh Photography. She does great work. Check it out here!

Music To Move To

Right now I'm waiting for my iPod to charge so I can go run (or attempt to run). I thought I'd share my motivation! It's fun and good to groove to. The first half hour is for 5 mins of warm up and running. The last half hour is for weight training.

Promiscuous, Nelly Furtado 4:02
Figther, Christina Aguilera 4:10
Womanizer, Britney Spears 3:45
Single Again, Trina 3:45
Toxic, Britney Spears 3:19
It's Not Right But It's Ok, Whitney Houston 4:21
Mr. Brightside, The Killers 3:43
Do It Well, Jennifer Lopez 3:08
Maneater, Nelly Furtado 4:25
Won't Go Home Without You, Maroon 5 3:51
Shake Shake, Metro Station 3:02
Keeps Gettin' Better, Christina Aguilera 3:06
Live Your Life, Rihanna 4:03
Don't Trust Me, 3OH!3 3:17
Candyman, Christina Aguilera 3:14
Beeper, Count & Sinden 3:00

Now, I'm headed to the gym to "move it, move it!"

Wanna Know A Secret?

Want me to tell? Huh? Huh? Huh?

So, part of the reason I've been so busy is that I've been working on a "project." Until it was official, I really couldn't say anything. Now that it's a done deal, I can totally blab!

On February 14th, 2009, I will be co-hosting the "Honey, I Just Forgot" Pub Crawl - Benefiting the Greater Dallas Chapter of the Alzheimer's Association. Alzheimer's has hit my family very hard in recent years and it's important to me to do whatever I can for research, education, and family and patient care.

The pub crawl will take place on Lower Greenville and have various after parties with live music. I'm totally excited and can't wait to work really hard to make this a successful fundraising event. As of right now, the Dallas Sport and Social Club is partnering with me to host this event. The Development Department of the Alz. Assoc. is totally behind us and are totally excited about this event.

This event is in the very early stages and as things progress I'll let you know. So... don't forget, you totally have a date for V-Day this year! Woo!

Mexi-talian

I am not what you would call a "Suzy Homemaker" in the kitchen. I can never remember how to boil an egg, I burn microwave lasagna and I have lit my stove on fire. However, recently I have perfected black bean enchiladas and whole wheat pasta.

When scrounging together some dinner tonight, I found some left over black bean/onion/garlic combo from enchiladas, enchilada sauce, cheese and whole wheat penne pasta. I threw the pasta and black bean combo into a bowl, covered it in sauce and topped with cheese. After microwaving it for a few minutes I had the most delicious meal ever! Ever!

Who knew! It was amazing! No joke, I've been craving it ever since. Try it out sometime. It super east and cheap to make!

Turkey Time!

It's time for the Turkey Trot!!! Every year on Thanksgiving Day morning, Capital One bank sponsors the Dallas YMCA Turkey Trot. It is an 8 mile run with a 3 mile fun run/walk. The proceeds from registration fees support YMCA programs.

My sister is a nurse at a cancer hospital and apparently still has to help save lives during the holidays. (Stupid cancer. Take a vacation.) She usually works on Thanksgiving Day and then our whole family meets up on Friday. That leaves me in Dallas. With nothing to do. So... I had a genius idea!

You may recall, I am trying to fit into a certain dress in about a month. Training to run in the Turkey Trot 5K will give me great motivation to workout and something to do on Thanksgiving morning! Since I am the anti-runner (me+running=scary), this is going to be a rather difficult feat. Think Phoebe from "Friends" scary.



Luckily, I still have an old running book from a previous attempt at learning to job. It's by Hal Higdon, a senior writer for Runner's World magazine. His website has training plans for taking your first steps (not literally, but in a workout sense) to running a marathon. The 5K plan is 8 weeks long but I only had 6 weeks when I started. My first run was supposed to be 1.5 miles. So didn't happen. Last week was the 1.75 mile run week and I'm able to get through it with only 1 walk break for about a minute. Tomorrow is the first 2 mile run and I'm kinda excited. It should be interesting. It seems like I'm doing ok and I'll update you periodically on how it's going.

If you have plans to be in the Dallas area on turkey day, check out http://www.thetrot.com/ for more info.

Did Someone Say "Weird"?

I am currently reading "Iodine," by Haven Kimmel.


Um... typically I understand flashback and dream sequences, but not in this book. However, I am thoroughly enjoying reading this book. I had to go on a hiatus, as well as everything else, but I'm back to it and I'm trying to pick up where I left off. At this point I'm a little short of half way through the book. According to several reviews everything should come together at the end.

Iodine, is the story of a girl that is abused as a child by her mother. To escape from the abuse she throws her attention and love on to her father; the attention then turns romantic.

So, this is my interpretation of the synopsis and what I've read thus far. To read a full description of the book, check out this site.

I'm Stuck On BandAid

Actually, it's going to be a bandage dress stuck on me! Epic Apparel is a trendy boutique in the West Village that prides it's self on brand names and emerging designers alike. They carry a style of dress, the bandage dress, that has motivated me to drink less beer (not drink less, just less beer), eat better and to quit my "yo-yo" workout routine. These dresses are absolutely fabulous but they leave very little room for extras.

I'm thinking my goal is going to be the beginning of December. My best friend's birthday is then and we always go big. It would be the perfect time to debut the dress! We shall see. Here's a pic of the dress. Hopefully in a little over a month, I'll be updating this post with a pic of ME in this dress!

Epic Apparel - 214.522.3745 - www.shopepic.com

Hello? Hello?

I'm still here, I promise! It has been trade show season with my work and so that translates to no time for "extracurriculars." How ever, things are winding down and I will be updating the blog more frequently. Way more frequently.

So here's a little preview, or a little snack, to tide you over til then!

• My new favorite wine. For life. Wine. And sanity for all.
• MAYJAH diet and I'll show the dress, aka the reason for the diet.
• Recap my Indian Summer including a trip to the fair.
• New sign from Dave! (hopefully)
• Updated reading list.

And a heck of a lot more!

Lite Brite!

When I was in Kindergarten, at Christmas time my teacher had all her students sit in a circle and say what we wanted for Christmas. All the kids kept saying a Lite Brite and I had no idea what it was. When my turn came, I said what I wanted and threw in the Lite Brite. Apparently the list got back to my parentals because I got a Lite Brite that year. And it was my favorite toy. Pretty much ever. Seriously. Well, that Christmas anyway.

For some reason I thought of the Lite Brite today and wondered if I could still get one. Hooray, I can! (http://www.hasbro.com/litebrite/) Also I discovered I can unleash my inner child by playing Lite Brite online! I am ecstatic! You create your own design then you can print it. Here is my first custom design. (Clearly I need practice.) You too can partake in the fun here.

Donkey Kong

***WARNING***

Section 2 of this post is slightly disturbing. It's too much for me, but I absolutely had to share.

SECTION 1:
There is only one place in Dallas that I have found where people from ALL walks of life can go and have a common interest. This special place is Fuel City! You will see everything from construction workers, cops, regular Joe's, working girls, business men in suits, and everything in between.

Fuel City is open 24/7 and has cheap gas, cold beer and delicious tacos. The tacos have been voted "The Great Texas Taco" by Texas Monthly magazine. You can get an breakfast tacos from 5am-10am and traditional tacos the remainder of the day. Tacos are served with pico de gallo, onions, lime slices and green or red hot sauce. You can mix and match from chicken and beef fajita, barbacoa, pork or chopped beef. Each taco is $1.16 + tax. This taco stand has 2 ordering stations, one inside the gas station and a window outside. Prepare to stand in line, but trust me (and the rest of Dallas), it's totally worth it.

While you wait, you can partake of the Mexican cream corn. You've never seen heaven in a styrofoam cup until you've had this corn for $2.50. Imagine if you will, corn in the bottom of a cup, a layer of liquid butter, a splash of hot sauce, more corn, more butter, sour cream, hot sauce and crumbled cheese. Oh yeh, and there is lemon pepper seasoning sprinkled in the mix.

Wait to eat the corn until you have a nice frosty beverage from inside. (You're gonna need it. Woo! Spicy!) After you purchase your drink, I would recommend a nice Bud Light Lime, swing back by the taco window and your food will be ready.

Fuel City advertises a lovely and refreshing swimming pool. I recently asked the attendant when the pool was open and apparently it's just for show. Whateve. I bring my own lawn chairs to sit in the shade and watch the longhorn cattle and donkeys in the pasture next door. That takes us into section 2.

SECTION 2:
Again, WARNING, this is gross.
While waiting for my friend Nicole today (shout out!), I was parked facing the pasture. Aw, how nice. Some Texas Longhorns, some feisty donkeys and a very horny donkey. I've never thought anything about the anatomy of donkeys, but today I received a crash course. Homeboy was feeling frisky and decided to show his donkey schlong to the world. Holy crap it was HUGE! It was like nothing I had ever seen before. It would slowly stretch down from his nether region and it would just hang. It would hang until he decided to bounce it up and down to his stomach. Talk about a train wreck you can't stop watching! After he bounced it around for a bit, it would shrink up for a little rest and then it would come back out. I'm racking my brain trying to think of something to relate it to, but I just can't compare the shrinking and stretching.

I just scheduled an emergency session with my therapist. Actually I don't have one but I think I now need one. Know any good ones?

Anywho, I still love Fuel City and had some wonderful tacos for lunch! Here's a video from YouTube featuring Fuel City. Sans donkey schlong.



PS Gas is only $3.38 at Fuel City. Woo cheap gas!

Rainbows (And not in a Cedar Springs way)

Wendesday evening I had to drive Amy to DFW Airport so she can go see her fam in Cali. (Yes, I know. She's a dirty pirate hooker. I kid, I kid!) On the way out there it started raining. Really hard. However, there was a full rainbow. You never see a full rainbow! It was goregous! After I dropped her off and was driving back to the casa, a second rainbow had started forming above the first. I have NEVER seen a double rainbow.

Note to self, do not try to drive an unfamiliar car, in the pouring rain, while trying to take phone pictures of a rainbow. Not very safe.

Unfortunately I'm not able to upload pics from my phone, but Karyn Bosnak had a post where a reader sent her a picture of my rainbow. Kinda cool! Small world! Click the link below to check it out.

An Email From Cheryl

Vino!

My favorite liquor store is the new(er) Sigel's off Fitzhugh and Cole. It is super nice, always clean, a HUGE selection of wine, and the staff is super friendly. They even sell cheese and Allen Brothers steaks. This Sigel's is a perfect date stop. You can pick up everything at one place!

Now for the exciting part, Sigel's is having an Inventory Reduction Sale!!! All wines are on sale to make room for new inventory. Yay for cheap wine! It's Thursday so the weekend is less than 24hours away. Why not start sooner?

Lip Service

Do a service to your lips! Burt's Bees has a new chapstick out: Replenishing Lip Balm with Pomegranate Oil. Pomegranate chapstick! AMAZING! It has a pink color but it goes on clear, which I really like. It smells really yummy and it makes your lips feel really good without the gloppy feeling.

I got mine at Target but I'll keep an eye out for other places around Dallas to get it. Check it out!

Tylenol

Eh, not as funny as some previous ones, but still funny. This may, or may not, be posted at my desk Monday morning. Just saying.

Kids Say The Darndest Things

I'm not sure whether or not this kid is "preaching" or just screaching, but it's funny all the same.



UPDATE: The server that hosts this video is currently down. Should be back up on Monday, 8/18. I'll leave this on there until Monday. Hopefully you can see it soon!

Bitch I Love You!

A few months ago I wrote about Black Joe Lewis. Well, he's back! The first time he was in town, I got to meet him and most of the band. Totally cool guys and fun as heck.

They're performing at the Granada again. The Granada is having a 14th Anniversary/Birthday bash with several Dallas bands playing. Doors open at 7:00 and the first band goes on at 8:00. Here's who you can look forward to seeing, that of course in addition to Black Joe Lewis!

8:00 Flat People
9:00 Dove Hunter
10:30 Black Joe Lewis
12:00 Jonathan Tyler and The Northern Lights

Hope to see ya there!

Props!

My junior year of college I lived with a lovely lady, Jamie Veal. She and I met working as score keepers for Baylor Intramurals. Jamie is pretty much awesome and we hit it off from the get go. During the time that we lived together, she met Kellen, now her husband. These 2 crazy kids are now living in Chicago. Unfortunately, I haven't seen Jamie since her wedding 2 summers ago, but thanks to the internet, aka Facebook, I kinda get to keep up with how she's doing.

Yesterday she posted this link in her status: http://windycitizen.com/node/2448. Yay Jamie! That's awesome! I'm really proud of her. If you read her article, you totally get who she is, funny, witty and oh so fashionable! I'll definitely have to add her to my faves blog list.

Way to go Jamie!

Dork? Dork? Party Of One?

Last night I stayed up ridiculously late finishing The Beach House, by Jane Green. So good! It totally deserves all the raves it's been getting.


Now it's time to move on to the next book on my list. However, I'm slightly b-r-o-k-e at the moment so it's time for me to hit up the Dallas Pulbic Library! It's the library so obviously you don't have to pay to borrow the books. There are a ton of locations around Dallas for convenience. If you want a book that is unavailable at your home branch, you can request the book be transferred from another branch.

There are online resources available as well. The entire card catalog is available through the website. Once you have your very own library card, you can go online, enter your card number and assigned/created pin number to renew books, request book transfers, pay fines, etc. Very simple and user friendly.

I'm excited to start my next book and to continue exploring the Dallas Public Library system. There are evening programs, book fairs, fund raisers and much more!

SIlly Sentiments

While hanging out with my friend Amy (shout out!) this evening, I RANDOMLY think of a song an older gentleman used to tell me about. Don't think "older gentleman" in a creepy sense. We became friends from one of my jobs in high school.

His wife died several years before I met him and his family lived kinda far. He would tell me about this song, Stranger On The Shore, that he and his wife would listen to. It is a clarinet instrumental written by Acker Bilk. (Weird but still a cool name.) In 1962 Andy Williams recorded a vocal version.

It is smooth jazz and cheesy but old-school awesome. For some reason, I thought of the song tonight and I want to share it with you guys. Here it is for your listening pleasure!

Take Me Down To The River!

We are floating the Guatalupe River today!!! My sister put a trip together for my cousins, me, her, and some friends. A natural lazy river, booze, insane sun = an amazing time! Woo Hoo!

UPDATE: The river is a special place. Not only is a good time had by all, but you get to see thigns from all walks of life, as shown in the pic below. No joke, this guy was just wandering around. Like all day.

Wingman

It's the weekend!!! Time to party! New flirty dress - check! Strappy sandals - check! Moola - sorta check! Plan to get you and your drunk friends home - uh...

Don't worry! Three words: Wingman Chauffer Service.

You may, or may not, need a wingman to pick up dates, but if you are going out this weekend, you DEFINITELY need this wingman. Here's the skinny: You're out with friends and at the end of the night, not only are you seeing double vodka cranberries, but you see double everything else, too. Clearly, driving your car home is not an option. Cabs are expensive and finding your car through hangover haze is never a pleasant experience.

Enter Wingman. When you call Wingman, a guy on a moped shows up, folds up his scooter and puts it in the back of your vehicle, then drives you and your friends home in YOUR car! The only thing you have to worry about the next morning through hangover haze is finding the pizza delivery number.

Wingman is open 7 days a week, 8pm - 3am. They will also contract out drivers for special events and make reservations prior to 8pm for medical visits. (Laser eye surgery + driving = disaster. Call Wingman!)

I have used this service before and it's AWESOME! It only costs $20 and $2 per mile. Splitting that between friends totally makes it more affordable than roundtrip cab rides. Heck, I'd pay $20 NOT to deal with Dallas cab drivers! If you don't want peeps crashing on your couch, Wingman will drop them off for an additional $5. While I have yet to find any downfalls to Wingman, the only thing I would suggest is to call prior to bar close. It typically takes them about 20 minutes to arrive.

Ready to paint the town red - check!

Wingman Chauffer Service 214.965.0808

Tea For Two and Two For Tea

Well, not exactly. In subtle attempts to make me more domesticated, my parents bought me a subscription to Taste of Home: Cooking for 2 magazine. It's actually a really cool magazine! Not only does it have recipes, but it has cooking tips, a "Cook Now, Eat Later" section, an index that cross references ingredients (my favorite!) and a ton more!

I know, I know, guys are probably gagging, but the summer issue, for instance, has grilling recipes as well as a recipe for Grilled Seasoned Bratwurst! What boy doesn't like bratwurst?

The recipes have the perfect portion for an individual, or a few people. A yummy dinner with leftovers for lunch! As an added bonus for the health conscious cook, each recipe has the nutritionals listed below it.

Just to give you a taste, here's a recipe from the website, http://www.cookingfor2.com/.

Mexican Manicotti

Combining an Italian pasta and Mexican ingredients created an exceptional dish for Mrs. Larry Phillips from Shreveport, Louisiana. She writes, "This recipe is well-liked even in Cajun Country Louisiana!"

SERVINGS 2 PREP 25 min. COOK 25 min. TOTAL 50 min.

INGREDIENTS

4 uncooked manicotti shells
1 cup cubed cooked chicken breast
1 cup salsa, divided
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
2 tablespoons sliced ripe olives
4 teaspoons minced fresh parsley
1 tablespoon diced pimientos
1 green onion, thinly sliced
1 small garlic clove, minced
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
1/3 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese

DIRECTIONS

Cook manicotti according to package directions. In a small bowl, combine the chicken, 1/4 cup salsa, ricotta cheese, olives, parsley, pimientos, green onion, garlic and pepper sauce. Drain manicotti; fill with chicken mixture.
Spread 1/4 cup salsa in an 8-in. square baking dish coated with cooking spray. Top with manicotti shells and remaining salsa. Cover and bake at 400° for 20 minutes. Uncover; sprinkle with Monterey Jack cheese and bake 5-10 minutes longer or until cheese is melted and filling is heated through. Yield: 2 servings.

NUTRITIONAL INFO

Nutrition Facts: 2 stuffed manicotti (prepared with reduced-fat ricotta cheese and reduced-fat Mexican cheese blend) equals 395 calories, 10 g fat (4 g saturated fat), 82 mg cholesterol, 795 mg sodium, 38 g carbohydrate, 2 g fiber, 35 g protein.

Printed from cookingfor2.com Aug 8, 2008
Copyright Reiman Media Group, Inc © 2008

Fire! Fire!

Two nights ago the fire alarm in my apartment starts going off at 3:30 in the morning. Scary! It smelt so funky, like an electrical fire or something. There wasn't any smoke, just the horrible smell. My roomie and I (shout out!) thought our neighbors below us were idiots and caught their oven on fire.

The next day when I got home from work the air conditioner is broken. *Note, it was 103 degrees at 7pm that day. Long story short, our air conditioner had blown up/caught on fire and that was the smell and cause for the fire alarm. SCARY! We had no idea!

Too bad I didn't get to call some cute fireman to come over! Anywho, now I'm on the hunt for a fire extinguisher.

Yummy Creamer

When it comes to coffee, I didn't have a drop until college and even then it wasn't more than a Starbucks frapaccino. Once I entered the "real world," I started drinking the real deal but still with a ton of creamer and 2 packets of Splenda or Equal! During a recent trip to the grocery store, I came across an amazing new creamer flavor: Black Cherry Streusel by Coffee-Mate! Holy moly this stuff is good! It's only available for a limited amount of time so I am seriously going to have to stock up!

TGI WTF???

TGI Friday's, you've been put on notice. Yes, you are a typical American food chain restaurant with an annoying guy in commercials, but you have several fun nibbles that I occasionally like to eat. My ultimate favorite being the oreo cake, and now you've gone and discontinued it. Seriously? And you carded me to get into the mall location; not carded me to buy booze (that's fine), carded me to enter the establishment! Shit list Fridays. Shit list.

Sneaky Sneaky

For those of you who read my blog, you are aware that this is not a relationship blog. But today, I'm going to make an exception.

A good friend of mine met a guy recently. She lives at Point A and he lives at Point B. Point B happens to be my hometown. My friend is totally smitten with this guy and as her friend I feel it necessary to see what we can find out about this guy from my peeps back home.

Is that wrong? It was brought to my attention that this is evil and not fair to this guy. Whateve! I gotta look out for my girl!

Bookworm

Growing up I LOVED reading. In the summer, the local libraries had a "Reading Is Fun" contest. Basically you read as many books on your level as possible and you could win prizes. I soooo miss that! I've compiled a list of books that I'm going to try to read by the end of summer. (The end of summer being Labor Day weekend.)

These are in no particular order.

Shoe Addicts Annonymous, Beth Harbison - When I finish this book, and I if like it, I’ll prolly read Secrets of a Shoe Addict.

Save Karyn, Karyn Bosnak - I love her blog! Her other book,
20 Times A Lady, looks AWESOME as well.

Chasing Harry Winston, Lauren Weisberger – She wrote The Devil Wears Prada, and there’s another book of her’s that sounds really entertaining, Everyone Worth Knowing.

The Beach House, Jane Green - My friend Chelsea is hosting a book club on this book and it looks really good!

If you've read any of these, or have some suggestions of good books, leave me a comment!

UPDATE: I just realized this list includes 6 books, possibly 7! Whoa! I better go to Half Price Books and get reading!

UPDATE v2: This book may get pushed to the fall because of lack of time, but my roomie read it and said it's really good. Candy Girl: A Year in the Life of an Unlikely Stripper, Diablo Cody - She was the screenwriter for Juno. Seems like a cool chick.

Drink It In

In college I had a roommate from Brazil and she taught the roomies how to make caipirinhas with cachaca. I'm going to try and make them tonight. There is a website, http://www.caipirinha.us/, that has a ton of recipes to make with cachaca, including yummy looking fruity ones! Of course, practice makes perfect so I'll have to keep making them til they're perfect!

UPDATE: Yummy! Delicious! Wee, way fun drinky drink!! Fruity! I LOVE cairpirinhas!!!!

Crooked Tree Coffeehouse

In a previous post I mentioned a new independent coffee shop, Crooked Tree Coffeehouse. Finally I got to go this evening with two of my girlfriends and I loved it! From the outside it looks quaint and cozy, like a cute old lady's cottage. The inside is just as quaint and cozy as I expected. Warm colors, eclectic paintings and digital photos cover the walls. The space is very open and airy. The photos are are for sale for $3-7. I love the way the pictures are mounted and arranged on the wall. It gave me a decorating idea for my apartment!

The employees are very friendly and give great service. The coffee served is fair trade certified. They also serve green tea, chai tea and the standard assortment of coffee drinks: lattes, machiato, cafe au lait, etc. Some food is served but it's just light nibbles and sandwiches. A fellow patron ordered a sandwich of some sort and it looked quite yummy! The prices are very reasonable. Expect to pay about $2-3 for a drink.

With early to late open hours 7 days a week, I hope to spend a lot of time at the Crooked Tree!

2414 Routh Street, Dallas, TX 75201
Phone: 214-953-1142

UPDATE:
Daily Hours
Monday-Thursday: 6am -11pm
Friday: 6am - Midnight
Saturday: 7am -Midnight
Sunday: 8am - 9pm

Soundtrack To Summer

My friend Amy made me a CD for my roadtrip to the lake this week. It's pretty much the most awesome thing. Ever. Yay!

-Kid Rock, "Summertime"
-Akon, "Sweetest Girl (Dolla Dolla Bill)"
-Meech, "Thicka Than A Snicka"
-Akscent, "Kylie"
-MIA, "Paper Planes"
-Webbie, "Independent"
-Mae, "Summertime"
-Coldplay, "Viva la Vida"
-Morningwood, "New York Girl"
-The Republic Tigers, "Fight Song"
-Kylie Minogue, "Ripping Up The Disco"
-Cut Copy, Lights and Music
-Maroon 5, "Won't Go Home Without You"
-Hot Hot Heat, "Talk To Me"
-NKOTB, "Summertime"

Jam out and enjoy!

There's A New Doc On The Block

Meet Dr. McDealy! The crack dealer is wearing scrubs today! While I was watering my plants before work this morning, (please note that the time was not even 8am) I see a lady unloading pillows from a brown cart into the dumpster area. Hmmm... My initial thought was, "wow, there really are squatters living back there." Poor girl, she was so tired, she went to lay down. Literally 30 seconds later Dr. McDealy goes into the dumpster area. I promptly revised my initial thought to "well, guess that's his professional friend." He was in and out for a few minutes but finally stayed in.

Um... ok? If this young lady is in fact a working "professional," let's hope she brings her own protection since she brings her own pillows!

Free Drinks! Free Drinks!

I'm. Super. EXCITED!!!!!!! My best friend Casey (shout out!) is coming to Dallas tomorrow!!! I seriously can't contain myself. Obviously, I've been scouting out fun stuff for us to do and trouble for us to get into. Here are 3 events/places to go Friday night:

1. Dallas Sports and Social Club is having a social happy hour at The Fish in West Village. The booze starts flowing at 5 and goes til 7. It'll be a great post-work kickoff to the weekend! A drink ticket is $5 and that will get you 2 drinks (Draft Beer, Import Beer, & House Wine). After you use your drink tickets, additional drinks can be purchased at happy hour prices. The best part is the free sushi and appetizers! Free food and cheap booze, sounds like winner!
3636 McKinney Ave Ste 150, Dallas, TX 214-522-0071

2. Follow up the DSSC event at Victory Tavern. Starting at 7, Victory Tavern will have $3 martinis as well as Zen and Midori drink specials. Appetizers will be served and there will be a DJ spinning for entertainment. If you're not brave enough to try and park in Victory Park, valet parking is around $7-8.
2501 N Houston Ave, Suite 100, Dallas, TX

3. Obviously, an actual dinner is going to be a must with this much booze comsumption. Patrizio's, both locations, is having their annual Bellini Fest. Bellini Fest lasts the entire month of July. They are featuring $1 Baby Bellinis and chef recommended specials. Definitely some yum grub, and again, cheap booze!

In honor of Casey coming to Big D, here's a clip from Pauly Shore. Watch and you'll understand the title to this post.



Check out the events and have a great weekend!

WOW

This is a pseudo crackhead update. I had to get gas at the Shell and a lady walked in wearing a tshirt that said:

Yes, I'm a virgin but this is an old shirt

Hahaha! Holy heck! I wonder if she was the "professional" lady that was there a few weeks ago...

It's Gonna Be A Long One...

Ello Muppets! I've been super busy the last week, so I'm going to update you! (And there are some COOL updates.)

-Funny Sign

Dave has put up a new "phrase"!!! This time when I was taking the picture of the sign, a guy at the locksmith place next door starts chatting about how funny they are and liked my idea of taking pictures. Haha!



-NAAN Allen Opening

NAAN Allen is a Korean Grill and Sushi Bar owned by Sasha Kim. Previously, Sasha owned NAAN in the Shops At Legacy in Plano, but sold it earlier this year. NAAN Allen is located in the new Watters Creek shopping center in Allen, off Central. It is definitely a haul from Dallas, but not too bad with the new HOV lane.

NAAN Allen fits in perfectly with the Watters Creek development. The open air shopping center offers luscious green grass, clean creeks, and a large assortment of restaurants, shops and living space. NAAN Allen is tucked in the middle, or what appeared to be the middle, of the "urban resort." NAAN Allen is decorated in muted colors, clean lines and has high ceilings to create a chic, VIP feel. Stadiums and movie theaters often brag that every seat is like a front row seat; at NAAN Allen, every table is a VIP table. Come fall, the airy outdoor patio will definitely be booming!

There are several hibachi grills nestled in tables that provide dining seats. Seating is also available at the sushi bar. If you're looking for a traditional sit-down setting, the dining area is on the side of the entrance for a more secluded feel.

Other than the drive, I'm totally going to return to NAAN Allen to check out more of the menu!940 Garden Park Dr., Allen, TX P. 214.383.7522 Business Hours M-Th 11am – 3pm & 5 – 10pm Fri-Sat 11am – 3pm & 5 – 11pm Sun 5pm – 10pm

-Media Bistro All-Media Party/Nana Restaurant

MediaBistro is a great resource for all members of the media: writers, editors, photographers, web developers, PR, etc. Joining mediabistro.com entitles you to online and live courses in a variety of subjects, great job boards, special events, discussion panels, and much more.

The most recent All-Media party in Dallas was held at Nana restaurant, in the bar. Nana is located on the 27th floor of the Hilton Anatole off I35. The event included drinks and light nibbles. If the restaurant food is representative of the hors d'œuvres, then holy heck this place is good! The scallops were to die for! AMAZING! The grapefruit martini was pretty darn tasty as well.

You would think being on the 27th floor there would be an amazing view. It was, but just not quite as breathtaking as I expected. In the corner by the band, the view of downtown is gorgeous, but I didn't make it to that part of the room until right before I left.

If you check out the website, you can tell this place is going to be pricey. I'll have to save up some dough, but I'd love to grab drinks in the bar with some girlfriends sometime.

-Crooked Tree Coffeehouse

Two of my friends, Amy and Nicole (shout out!), and I went to the Black Friar Pub two Saturday nights ago. We parked on a side street and stumbled upon a new little independent coffeehouse, Crooked Tree CoffeeHouse! It is in a quaint house on Routh and looks super cozy. Hopefully this week I can go by and check it out. Be on the lookout for an update!

2414 Routh Street
Dallas, TX 75201
Phone: 214-953-1142

Phew! Well, that's all for now, but I promise I'll be posting much more frequently than I have been.

Just For Fun

As a little girl I used to watch LOVE beauty pageants. I loved seeing all the pretty girls that looked like Barbie. Now that I'm a bit older, I do not watch the pageants but I do not hate these gorgeous women. I feel like they are normal people as well, just ridiculously good looking.

With that said, I kinda feel bad for Miss USA. I didn't watch the pageant, so I searched YouTube to see the clip. A)I really like that her smile seemed very genuine as if she was laughing at her self. You go Miss USA! B) In the "related videos" section, I found this:



OMG!!! Hahahaha! At least next time she gives a speech it won't be hard to think of her self with no pants on in front of an audience! Wait, it's supposed to be the other way around. Hahahaha!

It's Monday

"Somebody's got a case of the Monday's..."

I am newly obsessed with following 2 videos! They are just funny and make me laugh. (I may or may not try to work them in conversation with my friends.) :-) Perfect for a case of the Monday's!

Ain't no thing, it's a hairflip!


Bitch please!

Easy Breezy

Earlier this week, I grilled out with my friends. The pool, good food, fun friends... it was way awesome! Since summer is a great time to cook and eat outdoors, I thought I'd share two recipes that I made for my friends the other night. Super easy, pretty cheap to make, and it seems like they were a big hit with everyone.

Black Bean and Mango Salsa
1 can black beans ($.80)
1 red onion ($1)
1 fresh mango ($1) - I'm going to try and substitute pineapple next time to see how that taste. might be good.
1 container fresh grape tomatoes ($2-3)
Ground black pepper to taste (I used Smokehouse Ground Black Pepper from work, but I don't think it's available retail.)

Throw all that in a bowl, and refrigerate to let all the flavors blend together. Easy and cheap!

Suzy Sangria
2 Bottles of red wine (I used Merlot.) ($6-7)
1 Medium orange ($.30)
1 Lemon ($.10)
1 Lime ($.10)
1 Small bag frozen mixed berries (I only used half the bag.) ($2-3)
2 1/2 - 3 Cups sparkling water (I used blackberry flavor.) ($1)

Cut the orange, lemon and lime in circle slices. Pour the wine in a pitcher. Add fruit and sparkling water. Chill and enjoy SangriaLand! (College - shout out!)

Disclaimer: "Always please drink responsibly." DON'T DRINK AND DRIVE, KIDS!!!

Lottery Heaven!

I didn't actually win the lottery, but I think I've come as close as possible without actually winning money.

Setup: I made a WallyWorld run last night to stock up on $3 bottles of wine.

So how did I win the lottery you ask? 97¢ Natty Lite and Bud Ice tall boys!!! Hahaha! I am so golden for the pool this weekend. Favorite quote from Amy, "Yeh, Bud Ice. I don't play around!"

You stay classy Wally.

Daily Candy-Dallas

DailyCandy Dallas is a daily online editorial that covers everything from local restaurants, shopping, services, etc. My favorite day of the week, so to speak, is the Thursday edition. It is call the "Weekend Edition" and has fun stuff going on in Dallas during the weekend.

Today's edition featured the new DailyCandy book, DailyCandy Lexicon: Words That Don't Exist But Should. It is an entire book of creative words/phrases that don't already exist in today's lingo, but should. Think grown up conjunctions. It is VERY girly, but I feel like some guys might find it hilarious as well. For instance, one of the phrases is textual frustration-n. A late-night text exchange that fails to result in old-fashioned lip-locking. Hahaha!

Check it out and who knows, next time I use fabric-ation, you'll know what I mean!

Late Night!

You'll probably notice a later time stamp on this post. Yeh, I'm exhausted. It is worth it because I just finished a project and hopefully I can tell ya about it soon. (Keep your fingers crossed!)

Anywho, there is a new energy drink on the market and it's pretty good. It's called Frank's Energy drink. It has two sizes, and a sugar free option. Sorry for so few details, but I like the stuff, especially the green flavor. If you see it around, check it out and let me know what you think!

PS They have "Frank's Girls." They are basically models, use the term loosely, that wear skimpy Austrian drinks. Whateve.

Yumi In My Tummy!

Yumi to Go is a new(er) Asian restaurant at Lemmon and Inwood. It's strictly take-out/delivery but it's awesome! A variety of grill, wok and salad items are offered on the menu. With unique items such as Grilled Pomegranate Shrimp Skewers and How Fun Noodles & Chicken, or traditional items including Lemon Chicken and Edamame, there's definitely something for everyone. If the budget is tight these days, Yumi To Go has an answer: lunch specials for $6.49 + tax. There are a variety of items available for the lunch special, and each dish includes steamed rice and an egg roll.

When visiting the website, http://www.yumitogo.com, check out the chefs making food on the Yumi Cam, a real time video feed! How cool is that?

Whether you pick up your food, or have them deliver it in the bright green Toyota Yaris, your food is guaranteed to be fresh. Guess what I'm having for dinner tonight?

Update

So guess who might be on the balcony watching some "suspicious activity" across the street while drinkg $2.97/bottle wine?

If by "suspicious activity" you mean a drug dealer handing off baggies coke and then going at it (there were sound effects) with a woman of a certain profession in the dumpster area, you are correct. No, I didn't call the cops. I'm over trying to be a narc. It's way more entertaining just to watch.

Yes, the wine was actually really good and I'm going back to a Wally-World tomorrow to buy an entire case.

Into The Deep

Deep Ellum is not an area of Dallas that I frequent, but I was in the neighborhood last week. Going in I knew Deep Ellum is really run down, not the safest place in Dallas, but used to have a lot of really cool hole-in-the-walls that are landmarks to Dallas. A) Luckily, some are still there. B) What happened down there? Hopefully the City of Dallas gets the rejuvenation process going soon. I just hate seeing sad little areas of my town.

However, I did go to one of the still thriving establishments in Deep Ellum: Deep Sushi. Per our server, Deep Sushi has been there since the 90's. It left for a short stint, but is back and there to stay.

On the way to Deep Sushi, my friends got a little lost. Yeh, it's in a rough neighborhood, to say the least, but DO NOT let that scare you away! It's at 2624 Elm St, Dallas, TX 75226. The outside of the building looks a little aged, but other than that, it has a nice neon sign acting as a homing beacon for newbies and regulars. The interior is very clean, Asian themed decor with the sushi bar as the main focal point. It was a nice evening so our crew decided the patio was our best option. The patio is very nondescript and basic. Black metal tables and chairs, and not over crowded. For me, the patio was perfect for food, friends, and fun. (The only pitfall of the patio is the bums try to panhandle while your eating dinner. How rude! - said in Stephanie Tanner voice circa Full House.)

The menu is one of the best I've seen! I LOVE sushi and exotic food so I was very pleased to see a menu full of traditional Japanese items such as seaweed salads, octopus and cucumber salad, sushi entrees and suimono. They do offer Americanized meals such as teriyaki and tempura, but alot of these are beef items. (I wonder if beef is a staple in the Japanese culture.) Our group of 4 went with one of the Sushi Boats. The price tag was scary but divided by 4, and the amount of food you receive, it was totally worth it. It literally was a wooden boat filled with sushi and rolls. It was a tame sushi selection in my opinion, but I still had my nigiri white tuna, so I was happy.

I loved this place so much, I did a bit of digging on the Internet when I got home. Not only is Deep Sushi open for lunch, they have lunch specials AND happy hour! Sushi+cheap booze=HEAVEN! Check out the menu and specials online at www.deepsushi.com.

Happy Fourth Of July America!

It's America's birthday! One of the things I think of when I think of America is our food. We have some dang tasty, artery clogging, good food! Two things come to mind: McDonald's and BBQ.

Just for you on Uncle Sam's big day, here are two AWESOME food specials you can't miss!

1. The McDonald's on Greenville, near Lovers, has an All-You-Can-Eat breakfast buffet on Saturdays and Sundays! I seriously want to shake Big Ron's hand! Ron, you and me have a date Sunday morning!

2. The best BBQ in my opinion, other than my dad's, is Dickey's. On Monday's and Wednesday's at the Knox-Henderson location, they have $2.99 sandwiches! It's limit 4, but you can have delicious BBQ for the rest of the week!

Now go get your cheap grub on!

Sew Cool!

Chels (shout out!), this one's for you! My friend Chelsea has recently purchased a new sewing machine and is looking for fun, chic, quirky places to get fabric.

Both my mom and sister are awesome seamstresses but I don't think I have that gene in my genetics. However, I am constantly begging them to put clothes on my back. For a while they would humor me and make me buy the fabric and they'd construct the garment. In this process I found the following 2 places for awesome fabric at awesome prices:

http://www.goldendoroutlet.com/

http://www.ebestfabric.com/index.php

Both are on Harry Hines, but the drive out to Irving is totally worth it! They have everything from drapery fabrics to formal wear fabrics. Pretty cool!

Kissing Lessons

Kissing Lessons

This comes from one of my favorite bloggers. Shout out! Some of you may have gotten this link from me in an email, but I decided it's too good not to share with the world. (And by world I mean the lovely people you are that read my blog even though I've been totally preoccupied and neglected you by not blogging enough lately. Sorry!)

Now go get you some!

Beer Sale

Driving home on I35 I saw one of the saddest things ever... a Bud Lite truck hinged over a bridge. Obviously I hope no one was hurt, but I wonder what happened to all that beer?

Just for giggles... "Bood Light"!

How To Eat Sushi (Or At Least Look Like You Know How)

Sushi gained popularity in the US about 10 years ago. It continues to live up to its chic and trendy reputation. However fun and eclectic this traditional Japanese food may be, it still bewilders many man, and women, today.

Whether it’s a first date or a business dinner, you will definitely need to look as though you have mastered the basics of sushi. Below are a few etiquette tips and the essentials of sushi.

There are three basic types of sushi: Nigiri Sushi, Maki Sushi, and Sashimi Sushi. Let’s first discuss Maki Sushi.

Maki Sushi: If you have stepped foot into at least a SuperTarget in the last year, you have seen this type of sushi. Maki Sushi is rolled sushi. It is made with fish, rice, and a multitude of vegetables. Traditional maki sushi has seaweed on the outside (the dark green weird stuff). The most popular sushi in the states is an “inside out roll.” It is “inside out” because it has the rice on the outside, with the seaweed on the inside. Crunchy rolls, or fried rolls, are also considered inside out rolls. Whether it’s inside-out or right-side-out, maki sushi is in the lowest price bracket.

Nigiri Sushi: Nigiri sushi is nothing more than rice with raw fish on top. Based on the type of fish, you will typically get 4-6 pieces with an order of nigiri sushi. This type of sushi is a bit more pricey than the maki sushi.

Sashimi: (My personal favorite.) Sliced raw fish. That’s it. You pay the biggest bucks for sashimi out of the 3 types of sushi. It should have the highest quality fish and be very fresh. My advice is not to eat this unless you are at a *legitimate* sushi restaurant. (Chinese buffets DO NOT qualify as *legitimate* sushi dining.)

Now just a bit on manners. It doesn’t matter who you are with, girlfriend, first date, boss, coworker, etc., looking like a clown while eating is not advised. Sushi is no exception to this rule. While everyone is given some leeway when eating Japanese food, cluelessness is not excused.

· Eat sushi how you want. Eating it with your hands is very old school and completely acceptable. If you aren’t able to embrace this Eastern tradition, use the chopsticks or the best way possible to get it from the plate to your mouth, within reason.
· A HUGE misconception is to mix your wasabi in the soy sauce. Don’t do that. If you want additional wasabi, let the sushi chef know and they will put it on your rice.
· The most important suggestion is how to properly dip your sushi in the soy sauce: DO NOT EVER, under any circumstance, dip it rice side down. (I realize that is impossible with inside-out sushi, but for everything else this applies.) Flip your sushi, fish side down, and dip! This keeps your sushi from falling apart everywhere and you from looking like an idiot.

Now that you have the basics of sushi, grab some friends, or a date, and test out your new found sushi-intellect. Plus you’ll impress everyone by knowing what to do. Plus, the better you are at managing sushi after a few saki bombs, the better off you are; in my opinion!

Dave, You Rock!

The latest sign on my drive home:

I want to shake the hand of whoever writes these. They are absolutely hilarious!

Honesty Is The Best Policy

This came from my sister in Houston. She saw a panhandler on the side of the road with this sign:

"WANTED 7 course meal. a hot dog and a 6 pack."

Hahahaha! Oh. My. Goodness. Must stop laughing. Can't breathe! I'd seriously go buy that guy a hot dog because of his honesty! I wonder if I should give the idea to the guys at Oaklawn and 35?

UPDATE: Found this online and thought it was totally appropriate. There are more funny pics like this at http://www.postfunnypics.com/. Haha!

DTR???

My blog is NOT a dating blog, but... this was just too good not to mention.

A very close friend recently enlisted my assistance in his dating life. He just needed a little guidance in the language of love as he's been out of the game for a bit. He definition of DTRing it was Defining The Regret. Bwwaaahahahaha! That should be on a fortune cookie.

The Smell Of Victory!

Saturday was the suit drive for Attitudes and Attire™, and man was it a success! Chelsea did an amazing job organizing the event and raising awareness. I am very proud to say that my good friend delivered 84 suits today! Whoo hoo! In total, 248 usable business clothes were donated. Way to go Chels!

Sunday, my friends Karen and Randall invited me and my gray area to go to a polo match. How fun! I got to dress up in a fun strapless knit summer dress with my pearls. You can bring your own snacks and beverages. Our little group had champagne and fruit with wheat crackers. The match was soooo fun! Tickets are $10 and valet is complimentary. If you show up early, someone explains the rules and basics of the game. Matches are held at the Las Colinas Polo Club on Sundays throughout the summer. It wouldn’t be a proper polo match without the stomping of the divots and champagne at “halftime”. So get out there and “beware the steaming divots!”

Just A Few Things

Upcoming Summer Concerts I'm Thrilled About:
-Journey, July 27th at Superpages.com Center
-NKOTB!!! New Kids On The Block (insert 9 year-old girl screaming), August 19th at American Airlines
-Maroon 5 w/ Counting Crows (Adam Levine H-O-T), September 6th at Superpages.com Center (I am so crushing on Adam Levine)

Big D Stuff I Couldn't Live Without:
-Sunday Jazz Brunch In Victory Park (Checkout any patio in Victory Park starting at 11:30am or bring a picnic and buy drinks at the cash bar.)
-Movie Night in Victory Park!!! Tuesday nights at 7:30 there are movies on the big screens. Next week the movie is Footloose "cut loose, foot loose!" Kevin Spacey shakin' his ass when he shouldn't be... woo!

Crack Dealer Updates:
-Thought they were gone, not so much. Saw them making hand offs. Waited a few days, saw more handoffs. I may, or may not, have called crimestoppers. If you call this number, 214-373-TIPS (8477), you can tell them about a suspicious behavior and they'll give you a report number to call and check the status. (Honestly my mom is super afraid that a drug lord is going to come get me, so I promised to stop blogging about it. What? My fingers were crossed.)

Now Something That's Been Ticking Me Off For A While:
-Doree Lewak, you are a female satan. And not in a Devil's Advocate, sexy sort of way. You suck. Just because a single woman is on the upper side of 25 and doesn't have an engagement ring, it doesn't mean she has to want one. This person, Doree Lewak, wrote a book entitled "The Panic Years: A Guide To Surviving Smug Married Friends, Bad Tafetta, and Life on the Wrong Side of 25 Without a Ring." Doree, if it weren't almost 12 freakin 30 I'd go to town on your ass but I have to save that for another day. And don't worry, I will go to town on your idiot ideas. Dumb pirate hooker.

Ok that's all. Night loves!

Vaca!

Summer is the time for vacations and trips. Ummm, well someone forgot to inform the Middle East or the recession that it is summer time. Gas prices are so freaking high it is impossible to road trip anywhere. Instead of road tripping maybe flying can be an option? Oh yeh, no. Gas prices are making that next to impossible as well.

Well, good news! It has been my personal observation that Southwest still has some pretty cheap flights this summer. Even better news, if you fly out of Love Field, I have a secret to share! For those of you who read my blog, I'll share one of my most coveted secrets with you, because you deserve it for being loyal, lovely, and fabulous readers! :)

Drum roll please...

The big secret is...

There is a shorter security line at Dallas Love Field!!! Yep! You don't have to wait for the winding, sometimes really long, security line at the main entrance! If you're carrying on your luggage, or check your luggage and have to hurry, this line is for you! (It seriously kept me from missing at least 2 flights.) How do you get there you ask? Well, if you check your bags, walk out of the baggage check area and walk towards Chili's. Past Chili's is the car rental area and there are some elevators. Just past the elevators, you'll see stairs and an escalator. Go up and wall-ah! There you are! The other way to get there is if you park in Garage A, your entrance into the airport puts you right at the shorter security line. Bingo!

So, there you go! The shortest, most awesome, airport security line in Dallas! Shhh... don't tell! I don't wanna have to wait in line.

Breakdown... Breakdown

Well, it's not the time to breakdown.
It's not the time to breakdown.
It's not the time to break up this love, (insert car)
Keep it together now.
It's not the time to break.
-Lyrics from Chris Daughtry Breakdown

Yeh, so driving home on 75 the other day, my tire decided to blowout... a half mile from my exit. Bah. Well I had a couple of options, a guy friend to call or my "gray area boy", but cars go SOOOO fast and where you pull over is so narrow, I didn't want to put them, or their cars, in danger. My other option was to call the 800 # on the back of my Texas Driver's License. "What," you say? You didn't know there was an 800 # on the back of your license. (go ahead and dig it out. I'll wait.)

The number is 800-525-5555; it is for Texas Roadside Assistance. It's slightly annoying because you call, you wait, and then they give you a local number for Texas Highway Patrol to call. The local number I was instructed to call was 214-320-4444. They said the guy would be there in 30 minutes to an hour. Grrr... Let's just say the story ended with me getting my spare tire put on and I didn't die.

Now I can vent/say what I really think. A) At least 3 or 4 cops drove past and didn't even slow down to make sure I was ok. So much for "Protect and to Serve." They suck! B) The only person that pulled over was a tow truck driver and that's because he wanted my money. At least he asked if I was ok. C) The highway patrol guy was Lloyd from Dumb and Dumber. Seriously. The hair and everything. At least I was able to get a good laugh out of it afterwards!

Well, it ended ok so I guess I can't complain too much. So anytime you have a breakdown, don't forget your driver's license!

You've Been Served!

A) I've taken WAAAAAY too long to post this.

B) It's for a great cause and it is very near and dear to my good friend Chelsea. (shout out!)

Attitudes and Attiretm is a non-profit organization that promotes the personal growth of women who haven't been dealt the best hand in life. These women come to Attitudes and Attiretm to attend workshops focusing on job training, promoting positive self-image, effective communication and many more. One of the primary aspects of this organization is the Attitudes and Attiretm Boutique. The boutique provides image consulting for clients. They are provided professional clothing and accessories for work. And that's where you come in!!!

The lovely Chelsea is hosting a suit drive benefitting Attitudes and Attiretm. The poster with all the info is at the top of the page. Here are the basics: Gather all your suits and accessories that still look good, but you never wear/use anymore. Try to make sure the suits are pressed and on hangers. If not, please leave me a comment and I can try to help you out; anything to get stuff to this fabulous organization. Most importantly, please pass on the info to friends, family, coworkers... whoever!

Again, you've been served! See you in a little over a week!

Updates???

So I know, "updates" is a sorry excuse for a bad blog post, but eh, that's what it is. :)

I've been out of town soaking up some sun at the lake. However, I do have one little update to report...

The crack dealers have moved shop!!! Woo hoo!!! They haven't been at the Shell in over a week. Is it bad that I'm disappointed I don't get to call the cops?

I PROMISE more, and better, posts this week.

Laters!

Catch Phrase

Phrases I love that no one uses:


-Man boo please!
Used as:
"Are you wearing that tonight?"
"Man boo please! It's hot!"

-Shooo... (pronounced "shoe")
Used as:
"Shooo..., this bar sucks!"

-Oh my-lanta!
I think this is from a movie, but this is how I use it:
"Oh my-lanta! I am running soooooo late!"

"Man boo please" is my favorite.

Did you know...

Did you know that there are "suspected" crack deals going on at 8:30 in the morning? Seriously! I had to get gas at the Shell across from my apartment this morning. The crack guys were there! Seriously! Jersey guy handed a very ROUGH looking lady a Sephora bag that was all ratty and folded over. Yellow was there too! He walked by me and stared. A really really long time. Uh oh. I decided taking a picture of Jersey and the lady wouldn't be a good idea since they now A) recognize me B) know where I live C) now know what I drive.

Note to self: Learn to be more discrete when spying on crack dealers.

If you don't know who Jersey and Yellow are, read "Your Momma Smoke Crack Rock!"

I'll try to take a pic tonight from my balcony.

UPDATE: Stalking crack dealers is not a good idea. Last night, Amy and I saw the bicycle that the crack dealers ride propped up next to the dumpster area at the gas station. We pulled in to take a picture of it and as we're trying to take the pic, Yellow comes out of the dumpster!!! Shit. Drove away. Fast. Tires squealing. As if that wasn't enough, I try to take pics from my balcony and see the shiznit go down. Here's kinda the timeline:

11:45ish - Yellow takes trash to the dumpster. Boring.
Midnight - Close the Shell.
A little after midnight - Yellow let's in a sketchy looking individual into the CLOSED Shell.
A little after that - Sketch guy still in the Shell, Yellow goes back to the dumpster and comes out with a big duffel bag. He gets on the bike and rides off. They seriously keep their crack in a dumpster!!!
12:30ish - Sketchy leaves the Shell.
Today- Totally considering calling the cops.

Oh yeh, all the pics were blurry bc I couldn't use the flash.

Summer In The City

This is a similar post to yesterday's, "Hot Child In The City." Starting on Monday, the Dallas Symphony Orchestra will be hosting a week long series of concerts at city parks. Of course Monday will have patriotic theme to celebrate Memorial Day.

Monday is Memorial Day and most of us get a day off from work to play and be carefree because many Americans have given their lives for our country. It doesn't matter what your political views are, the fact is we have many amazing men and women fighting a war and living under the constant fear they may not come home. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE support these amazing men and women. And for my best friend Scott, Hoo-Wah!

All events are free although the Arboretum event requires a ticket to be "free." Not sure how that works, but you can call to get more info, 214-692-0203. Grab some friends and a picnic to enjoy a chill evening at the symphony! Honestly, a little culture won't kill you.

Hot Child In The City!

The weather is feeling great and it's time to head outside! Every Thursday, starting tomorrow night, the Dallas Museum of Art hosts "Jazz Under The Stars". Starting at 8:00pm, they have jazz music on the lawn off Ross Ave. You can bring blankets or lawn chairs to sit on, and snacks with your favorite beverage. Personally I will have chips and guacamole with some damn fine red wine. That's just me. The events are free to the public and they do sell food and drinks there.

Take the girls, drag a lov-ah, fido or whoever, and be jazzy downtown!

Today's "Ha ha!"

Here's the latest and greatest sign! It seriously cracks me up that a business would put up these funny sayings. It certainly does make my drive home on Irving Blvd more entertaining!

It's Friday, It's Friday, It's Friday...

It's Friday, It's Friday, It's Friday, La - Lalalalalalalalala!

I'll spare you the following 10 verses of Mrs. Buckner's Jr. High Choir song, but it is Friday and I have no clue what's going on this weekend. I sorry kids! I'm leaving Big D, very briefly, to go home and see the parentals.

However, I will give you a tease for next week... There is a new "phrase" on the infamous sign. Post pics next week. Have a great weekend!

Ka-Ka-Ka-Katy

Katy Trail that is. (I've never seen the movie "The Way We Were.")

If you need some exercise or are a fan of Katy Trail, come out tonight for the Michelob Ultra 10 5K. Proceeds benefit the Friends of Katy Trail. Their big project right now is lighting Katy Trail. Honestly peeps, lets get some lights on that thing. I bet it's freaking scary in the dark!

I'm volunteering tomorrow since can't run,I'm fat, and can't donate moola because I'm broke. Tee hee! If you wanna join me and get a sexy volunteer t-shirt, email Betsy Edmond betsy@katytraildallas.org. She'll give ya the details. Or if you just wanna show up and help, go to the registration tent at Riverchon Park.

So you get your groove on, Ka-Ka-Ka-Katy!

Jen Lancaster Turns Me Into a Blubbering Idiot

She was here! She was here! She was here!

I met her and she's as fabulous as she is in her books and blog! Most of you know she is my girl crush/girl soul mate... She totally lives up to that! I cannot thank my seester enough for giving me her first book!

Here's tonight, in a nutshell (I'll post pics tomorrow...)

• I am not even close to being her only fan in Dallas. There were TONS! of people there for her reading/signing. AWESOME!


• My friend Amy went with me. The event started at 7; we got tired of waiting and went to the bar next door to wait about 8:30 (Jen looked/commented at me when we left because I dropped my phone on the escalator); I got my book signed a little after 10; just like I'd hoped and prayed, I was the last in line so we could have a fabulous conversation and she could fall in love with me and we'd be instant bffs. (Poor thing, had been smiling, signing, answering questions and posing for pictures for 2 hours!)


• She complimented my SHOES!!! MOST AMAZING MOMENT EVER!!! EVER!!! EVER!!!


• I was a complete blubbering idiot. Note to self: don't tell favorite author she is your girl soul mate/crush. Awkward silence follows.

If you haven't yet, take a look at her blog and 3 books. I can't imagine you'd ever read anything more honest/funny in your life! Plus, we're neighbor stalking soul mates. Yeh, and I told her!

Sick, Sick, Sick!

This post isn't about a Dallas specific place, but there are several in the Dallas area. Care Now. Care Now is a Doc-In-A-Box that is totally legit. I remember the doc-in-boxes from childhood ear infections. I'd get an ear-ache on Saturday night and my mom or dad would take me to one of these places instead of the emergency room. Luckily they have improved in the last 15 years, and are rather awesome.

Care Now has several locations in the Dallas metroplex. Unfortunately, you will have to travel outside the 635 loop to get to one. Trust me, it's worth it! The North Dallas location has treated me for everything from Mono to severe sinus infections. Most recently, this weekend they helped me with a rather unpleasant infection and I will not share those details with you.

What makes them awesome, you ask? You go online, select a location and after you enter your insurance info, you're checked in. They will call you in about 20 minutes to verify your web check-in, and when your room is ready they call you. Trust me, it is so much more "fun" to wait at home than in a doctor's office with screaming children. **Warning, it may take between an hour - 2 hours for them to be ready, but at least you're not waiting there for that long.

They write your prescriptions and send you on your way. The next day they even call you to see how you're feeling! Seriously, when was the last time the doctor's office even called to remind you about an appointment.

They really do "Care. Now."