Three Yogurt Parfaits in Two Days

Any respectable breakfast event has several key components: LOTS of coffee, coat racks, a good crowd of familiar faces, muffins and yogurt parfaits. I went to several breakfast events last week, and the yogurt parfaits were definitely the standouts. I was at one event for so long, I had a yogurt parfait for breakfast (along with some banana bread that can only be described as orgasmic) and another parfait for lunch.

Three cheers for parfaits!!!

Psyche!

It used to be that the first signal of spring for me was seeing my first robin of the season. Well, robins these days are totally psyching me out! Guess how many robins I saw this past Saturday, February (yes - february!) 7th? Three! I saw three robins, which should mean that Spring has sprung, right? WRONG! It's February, there's a thunderstorm taking place outside my window right now and temperatures are supposed to drop back to the 30s in a few days. I feel like I'm on some kind of weird seasonal roller coaster...

So, robins - go back to wherever you spend your winters and don't show yourselves until Spring really has sprung!

"It's the end of the world as we know it!"

If I was given only two foods to eat for the rest of my life, this is what I would choose to eat. I would also be one big fatty. "Healthy Fat" my big fat ass....

Oh. My. Hell.

Dear City of Indianapolis,

That white stuff that's been falling from the sky this past week? That's called snow. And, it's a pretty common occurrence this time of year in this part of the world. So, if it's so common, why are you and your 60 snowplows having trouble clearing the roads??

Seriously. I know there are a lot of roads to plow, but I would like to see a bit more effort. Driving on slippery slush does not mean the roads are clean. It just means everyone is going to slip that much more as they turn in an intersection.

Also, I finally realized something: your inefficiency to clear the roads has bred an entire city of stupid drivers. They either drive too fast and then can't stop or they drive so slow a tortoise could pass them on the left. Those Indy residents who learned to drive in Indy and have lived here their whole lives really lose all skill once the snow starts to fall.

And, because of the slush and the stupid drivers, commutes that normally take thirty minutes now take an hour and half. I HATE sitting in my car that long in the morning! In fact, I've taken to doing bizarre things as I sit in traffic and look at brake lights (writing to-do lists and exercising a certain "muscle" comes to mind...)

With that said, I'd like to take a moment to proudly proclaim that I am a Region Rat. This title means that I not only say all my vowels in my nose and know where the Perogi/Pork/Blueberry/Popcorn Festival takes place each year, but I also grew up experiencing lake effect snow that would inevitably dump inches upon inches of snow on Lake, Porter and LaPorte County. ALL. THE. TIME.

This also means that I learned how to drive during the cruel and nasty winters in the Region. I even mastered the fine art of sliding through a stoplight at just the right moment so that my car wouldn't spin out. That takes some mad skill! (Sidenote: my driving instructor father would not be proud of my running a light, but he is VERY proud of my snow driving abilities. And, he knows how crappy Indy is with snow removal, so he gifted me special snow tires this year! Thanks, Pops!)

So, as I look out my window at the slush covered streets and not-so-secretly dream of warm days and flip flops, I rest assured knowing that I can take those mean streets. It's everyone else that pisses me off.

SNOW DAY!!!

The snow started falling yesterday and my commute home took almost two hours. And, wouldn't you know it, my favorite Beyonce song comes on the radio while I'm driving home, and I, of course, start busting out my white girl dance moves while driving. Whelp, at that same time, my car started sliding left and right on I70 like it was shaking its own money-maker! I stopped dancing, took control of my car and finally got home (where I promptly made myself a cocktail!).

So, at 6am this morning I'm out of bed looking out the windows and firing on my laptop. The snow outside is stacked up HIGH and my Channel 13 newscasters are working their tails off trying to count snowplows on the road and watching buses make precarious right hand turns. Work email has nothing about the office being closed. Call my voicemail, and find out that the office IS open. WHAT???

It's now 11am, I'm showered, in my pjs and on my couch. And, I think I can finally see the snow plows in the parking lot. It's about time!!!

I'll be working from home today. No use in risking my Honda and my sanity on the roads when I can easily do email from the comfort of my own home. My poor boss has received so many texts from me today, I'm surprised she hasn't turned her phone off. But, I have the go ahead to work from home, and that's what I plan on doing! (Well, that and possibly cleaning the apt...)

Ahhh, the joys of an unexpected day at home! Now, I just need to figure out if the Roller Skating party is in my future this evening....

Random Thoughts

1. I love The Office. I giggle the entire time. And, I love watching the reruns. Even if I've seen a certain episode many, many times - I still giggle.
2. My friend Jen is one of my most favorite people. And, I'm so glad she has such an awesome man in her life. She deserves it!
3. Today, I found my picture on the back of every bathroom stall at work. It wasn't done in jest, but as a way to encourage people to participate in an office wide program. While I like being an office "cheerleader" and will continue to be a good sport, I don't like that people are looking at me while they are going pee. Weird!
4. I LOVE Scotty's Brewhouse. I went to the downtown location for the first time tonight and ran into a bunch of fun, fun people. I always do at Scotty's - should have known I would at the new location. Can't wait to go there tomorrow night for DAW!
5. My friend, BR, has the best accent in the entire world. He has a really, really deep voice and a very strong southern accent. It is one of the cutest things I have ever heard. :)
6. I have a three day weekend ahead of me. I'm trying to think of things to do to kill the time: sleep, shop, clean, bake, gym. Anyone want to go watch movies with me????
7. I saw some really bad engagement pictures online the other day. It made me start planning what I would not do in my engagement pictures. I'm getting ahead of myself - I know this. But really - you should have seen these. Awful.
8. New guilty pleasure? Cheap manicures. I got a mani for $12 yesterday! Who knew that if I went to a different side of town, manicures would be half the price of what I normally pay on the Northside???

We're gonna get political, political!

Okay, from the right to the left..... My 82 year old grandma, who loves garage sales and loves her grandkids, made this for my little sister for Christmas. Her own Barak Obama doll. So wrong, yet so perfect.

Crazy Conservatives

I watch the Today show when I get ready each morning. It's my way of staying up on current events while applying the proper eye makeup each morning. Also, I have a crush on Matt Lauer...

Either way, Anne Coulter was on this morning to talk about her new book, but she also spent a good time whining about how she got cut from the show on Tuesday and was replaced by Tony Blair. I mean, lots of whining! I came to this conclusion:

Anne Coulter is one crazy ass bitch. And, I'm not reading her book.

Great Saturday!

I haven't had a Saturday this wonderful in a long time. For so long, I dreaded Saturdays. It meants hours on end by myself, learning how to be single and reconnecting with friends that had gone by the wayside when I was all ga-ga over a guy. (Note to self: NEVER let yourself become "that" girl again!).

Today was magnificent! The weather left a lot to be desired (cold, gray, windy), but the abundance of really, really good friends made up for it. First, brunch at Patachou with KJP. So glad to see her! She's out making a name for herself in the academia field in NC and I just don't get to see her as much as I should. A conversation with KJP is good for the soul. So, we caught up and talked about upcoming weddings (other peoples' weddings, not ours) over oatmeal and cinnamon toast.

Then, I anxiously awaited the arrival of a friend that was always fated to be my friend. We just didn't meet until after college, when we lived in neighboring apartments. Our story is a book in and of itself! Either way, ERW was up from Nashville and after she dropped her hubbie off at a bball game, she met up with me! We talked about everything under the sun while getting our nails done, eating a late lunch and buying puppy cupcakes for her dog. (Did I mention I love buying dog treats? One of the reasons I want a pup of my own so bad!) Seriously, this is one of those friends that you still wished lived down the hall from you. I can count friends like that on one hand, and she is definitely one of them.

So, all in all, a very spirit-uplifting type of day! Wonderful!

Now, I'm waiting for LSB to show up. He's kinda late - but since we really never set a time in the first place, I'm going to have to get over it. I just want to see that silly movie!

And, I just got a call from one of the girls I work with. She's on her way to a party at a former co-worker's house. Party sounds fun, but I replied that I wouldn't make it because I'd made plans with LSB. Maybe I shouldn't have done that...

Oh well! After a day like this, I don't see how my night could possibly be bad. Knock on wood!

Welcome, Holidays!

It's been awhile, but I haven't been gone for good. Just got sidetracked.

Welcome, Holidays, welcome! Honestly, in the big scheme of things, I don't feel like it's time to be holiday season yet. But, I'm ready for it. And, looking forward to it!

My little sister finished her finals yesterday and stayed with me last night. My mom picked her up today to take her back home. I wish I could have gone back with them! I love, love, love spending time with my family. They're my favorite people in the world.

But, alas, there's a week of holiday parties, receptions and luncheons to attend before I can load up my car with perfectly wrapped gifts and head up "home" myself. And, with all the social obligations, I'm making myself get the gym. I plan on eating the wonderful holiday food that surrounds me - I better be sweating those extra calories off!

Speaking of "holiday" food... We have an office pitch-in tomorrow. Ugh... There's a definite generation divide in my office. One generation makes these great dishes from scratch and is happy to do it. The other generation grudgingly brings some store bought dish to throw on the table. Me? I'm in the middle? I'm definitely not bringing something I made from scratch (who has the time for that???). But, I also couldn't just pop into the deli and have them put a half pound of something in a plastic container. So, I'm bringing pasta salad from a box! Best dollar and a half I spent all day! And, at least it looks homemade! Always the overachiever... ;)

And, since everything needs a dose of boy:
Did I mention that the holidays mean the opportunity to see LSB? He and I live in different cities, and usually have different schedules, but sometimes, when the moon is right, we meet up. And, he's an ass and pushes all my buttons and I like the challenge. It's nice to be friends with a smart guy.