While it was delicious and I have actually been there once before, I obviously failed to photograph any of the meal (for those of you who know me, this is not shocking in the least) but I will tell you what I got and mentally peer pressure you into going there sometime.

Thanks Daily Candy, for having the presence of mind to take a picture. You are obviously much smarter than me.

Step 1: Drinks, obviously. My friend and I both tried the “Sexy Cougar,” which I describe as fruity and nice and the website probably more aptly describes as “White Sangria with Leblon Cachaca infused with tropical fruits, bay leaves and Celestin Blondeau Sauvignon Blanc topped with soda.”

This is not the drink I got, but in an attempt to not make this post not boring and text-y and skippable for my 500 1 readers, here is a photo from the Globe’s review.

Step 2: Dates stuffed with gorgonzola and wrapped with bacon. At 4 for $4, you can not get a better or more delicious deal. These were the highlight of the night. Mouthwatering photo from the Phantom Gourmet’s review:

Next up were the crab rangoon empanadas with sweet and sour sauce. Also delicious, also not photographed by me.

Moving on.

Since we weren’t super hungry and my friend had made some peanutbutter-white chocolate-blondie dessert treats that were waiting for us in her car (go look at her blog – but read at your own risk, everything looks so delicious you are guaranteed a rumbling estomac (stomach)), we each just got one of the appetizer salads – mine was the special and I think consisted of mixed greens, green apple, walnuts, and lots of gorgonzola.

It was sweet and tart and savory and a great example of why salads should not consist of iceberg lettuce, baby carrots and ranch dressing (family take note, you are perpetrators of this crime) and since it was both a special and I fail at any form of picture taking other than useless but entertaining Photobooth sessions with my roommate, you will never get to see it. Unless you happen to go, and it happens to be a special, and you happen to order it. That seems like a lot of work.

But you should look at their website anyway. Or follow them on Twitter. Or Facebook.

So yea, I feel bad about the lack of photos in this post that a. requires photos because it’s about food and what kind of shoddy blogger doesn’t take pictures of their food? and b. is my first legitimate post in 3 months. Oh well. See you in September?

me: what kind of food would you potentially want to get

Mark: anything

me: dogfood
or its a no go

Mark: yup
lets do it

me: nice
kibbles n bits or purina?

Mark: oh purina
no question

If you participate, please take the button the fabulous Feris made to use in your post!

The idea of WITWW is to post a picture of you in someplace in the world…it doesn’t have to be somewhere foreign or tropical. Just a picture of you somewhere that you consider traveling. It might even be somewhere in your own hometown!}

I thought this Wednesday would be the perfect opportunity to discuss my trip to New York! Last week I was in NYC for just about 6 days, and although three of those days were spent running around looking at awesome PR agencies, there was still plenty of fun to be had. Here is a random sampling of events/delights of the City That Never Sleeps. Except we did. A lot. 9 pm bedtime anyone?

Red Velvet cupcake from Crumbs. I channel Chandler Bing when I say, "Could this BE any more delicious?"

Trying on floppy hats. Can't stand how glam I am. Aka a product of $5 sunglasses and lucky placement of light behind me.

Awesome chalk art down in Union Square Park.

An extremely unhappy camper because we could not locate a Nuts4Nuts cart fast enough for her liking.

And there we go. Like my nail polish? It's the lovely OPI No Spain No Gain. FYI. If you care. Probably you don't.

Random stranger: "Of all the things in New York, you take a picture of that?" Me: "But it's smiling!"

The totally gorgeous view from the Cosmopolitan office. Le sigh. So many beautiful racks of clothing in one place.

It was a great six days and we really lucked out with some amazing weather. My only complaint? I never get my falafel from a street vendor. Boo.

All the rain makes me want to do is curl up in a fleecy-pajama ball with a good book and definitely some hot cocoa (preferably Max Brenner’s Italian Dark Chocolate- care to put a location in Boston? K, thanks.)

Unfortunately for me, this is not the time to be lazing about my apartment trailing blankets, magazines and nearly empty mugs. This is cuh-runch time. I’ve had it pretty easy this semester, taking only one class and working the rest of the time. Since I don’t bring my internship home with me, I have gotten into the habit of doing whatever in the heck I want every single night, whether that be eyeing pretty Polyvore pages or making winner winner chicken dinners. Except not chicken, because I made shrimp. Hm.

Anyway, it is now time to crack? hunker? down and get things done. I made a to-do list when I got back from NYC (fun post to come! Maybe. Unless I forget and/or think of something newer/more exciting to talk about. Unlikely?) and hohhh my do I have a lot to accomplish in the next 6 or so weeks.

That being said, I think I’m going to try this funny thing I heard about over on this here awesome blog. Actually doing my to-do list. Much too often I make out a big list, usually with a couple things I’ve already done that day (so that I can cross them out immediately shhh) and then just making the list is enough for me, and I proceed to only do the most important things on it, and only as they are quickly approaching or absolutely need to be done.

For once, I want to write down this big fat list of things to do and just tackle it full force. Then the things I worry about not having done every day will be done and won’t weigh so heavy on my mind all the time. I’ve had plenty of free Saturdays where I did whatever my ickle heart pleased when in the back of my mind I knew I should be doing laundry or reading a few chapters for class or outlining a presentation.

So I’m just going to do it. Any and all of the list, whenever I can. Then maybe when I have free time, it will be completely free and completely mine.

I will be honest and say that I don’t know if I will have 100% success, but I’m certainly going to try.

Can I just say I LOVE having internet on the bus – and a power outlet! Normally I take Greyhound, and while it gets me to my destination it’s not always the most comfortable or enjoyable of trips. Especially when my iPod dies and my book is finished. So now I plan on watching YouTube and doing some work for the next few hours and then getting out and exploring NYC after we check into our hotel.

Anyone know of any must eat/drink/see places in NYC besides the very obvious? (I haven’t been since I was about 9 so my last memory is of buying a Doodle Bear in FAO Schwartz.)

Doodle Bear with minimal doodling. (via Amazon)

(This is definitely a modernized version and I’m almost positive my doodle bear totally wasn’t wearing pants or a headband but I guess a lot changes in 14 years. Also mine was blue. But I think you get the idea.)

So for now I will leave you with:

A. The awesome necklace I got at Loft even though I shouldn’t really be shopping and I haven’t recently but this was just too cute and it was the last one in the store so yea…

Pretty! (via Loft) I love coupons.

And B. A big hello from us on the bus!

Had to throw the hated peace sign.

Maybe next time I write I will have had some legitimate adventures? Currently my only goal is to buy falafel from a street vendor so I will definitely make that happen soon.

So naturally I get excited whenever I see recipes that incorporate some of my favorite things with little cook time - garlic, shrimp and rice all in one dish? You can bet I’m going to make it, probably at least twice a week.

This rice recipe is from the Tipsy Society blog, which I love. And it is Friday, which means it’s $50 Friday over at the Tipsy Society, and after reading their post I generally want to run to Target and/or Forever 21 ASAP.

Anyway. Here is the rice recipe and the wonderfully blurrrry iPhone pictures because I still haven’t charged my camera since I got home from Australia…December 10.

Says Tipsy’s Amanda:

Rice
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter
1/2 chopped onion
1 tsp minced garlic (or that little jar of roasted garlic sooooo easy)
1 tsp salt
1 cup rice
2 cups chicken broth

Heat pan on medium heat and and add olive oil and butter. Add chopped onion, stir and let sit for a minute. Add minced garlic and heat until onion is soft. Add rice and stir to coat the rice. Heat until rice turns a slight
brownish color. Add salt and chicken broth. Increase heat to boil, turn heat down to low. Heat on low for 14 minutes, stir.

Her recipe suggests making chipotle shrimp with this rice, but I did not have all the ingredients on hand, so my shrimp got some salt, pepper, parsley, chicken & meat seasoning (aka random delicious spices) and were sauteed up in a pan with some olive oil and then green beans.

Here is what all I used peeps:

Ingredients (also beans, but they were in the fridge during this pic)

Since I forgot to take pictures until half way through, bad quality though I knew they would be, I will just skip ahead and show you the final product:

Delizioso! *Kisses fingers* (This is not an Italian meal but whatever, it's my blog.)

I might actually try this recipe recipe next time with orzo, I think that would be really good too. Definitely want to try the Chipotle version of the shrimp that Tipsy Society suggested as well.

Besides being really good, the best part of this recipe is how quick it is! It took me  just about 20 minutes to make, and with an episode of Friends on in the background I was good to go.

Easy-peasy! (Lemon-squeezy?)

Over the years, my preferences in TV have changed quite a bit- I mean come on people, who didn’t want a little Temptation Island or the ORIGINAL Road Rules seasons back in 2002? However, another thing that has changed is how much exposure these shows have gotten.

It used to be that the show was the show, and episodes would be much talked about after the fact (Jenna & Heidi with the Oreos and peanut butter on Survivor, anybody?), but it didn’t go much past that.

With social media and online news outlets rapidly growing in popularity in recent years, I feel like shows have become more about the hype around the show and less about the show. Yes, it’s crappy reality TV, but I miss just enjoying the competition/drama and nothing else.

Now, everywhere I look there are spoilers and scandals popping up, the contestants’ backgrounds and personal decisions are constantly under scrutiny, and I find that my perceptions of my “favorite” contestants tend to change as soon as I start reading a message board or a hashtag stream on Twitter.

Every season I say, I’m just going to enjoy the show and not look at what’s happening online, but it’s becoming unavoidable. I literally cannot go on Twitter (follow me?), watch the news or check my email without seeing gossip or speculation or freakin’ conspiracy theories.

It has come to the point where I don’t even want to watch certain shows anymore – The Bachelor is a prime example. ABC Message Boards and bloggers like Reality Steve expose all the behind the scenes action and the bad editing and shady contestants’ backgrounds, and I’m just over it.

Does anyone else feel like this?

(As for the title of this post, come on, if you are currently between the ages of 18-25, I know there is a good chance you watched Moolah Beach. Who couldn’t love host JD Roth? Also, go Green Team!)

This is a message to my fellow bus/train riders of what I deem to be inappropriate behavior in a public and often too-close-for-comfort you-are-way-up-in-my-personal-space kind of setting.

1. Why don’t we start off with hygiene? If you are a nail biter, fine. Gross, but fine. But would it be inappropriate to request that you not chow on your nails 6 inches from my face? You do realize that the T is covered in germs and by holding onto rails and seats and then putting your hands in your mouth you are effectively eating dirt and other people’s gross sneezy hands, yes?

2. Another one for hygiene. Why would anyone ever find it okay to clip their fingernails on the T? Last time I checked, this is neither a bathroom nor in the privacy of your own home, and I don’t see a trash receptacle at your feet so the fact that you are disposing of your nails on the floor of the train/bus is beyond disgusting.

3. Case of the sniffles. If you have a cold, I feel bad for you, I really do, but sneezing without covering your mouth when there are about 50 people within 5 feet of you and then wiping your nose with that hand and transferring that hand back to the railing is just. Ugh. Makes me want to offer you hand sanitizer on the spot.

4. Get out of my face. If we are traveling with few or no other people and you have about 2623573 options of where to sit/stand, don’t pick the seat directly next to me. It’s just not necessary to infilitrate my personal space when you are not obligated to do so. If the last seat on the train is next to me, that’s fine and lovely, but otherwise, please sit at a reasonable distance.

5. Phone-oversharers. I am of the belief that use of cell phones on the T or bus should be similar to any other transportation situation – long train rides, flights, etc. Keep your calls brief and quiet. Especially when everyone else is dead silent. This offense is more forgiveable when the train is noisy, but since during the morning and evening rush hour most people are traveling alone, it does tend to be quiet, so please be courteous.

6. The last and most offensive of this list. P.D. Freakin. A. Can’t even tell you how much this bothers me. And I KNOW I am not the only one who is alternating between cringing and wishing they had picked a different seat and wanting to exact revenge. So just don’t do it. Wait 5 minutes until other people are not forced to be pressed up against you. The other day I saw a guy with his head basically in his girlfriend’s lap. NO ONE is that tired at 8 p.m. on a Friday night.

What I have not mentioned is that about 95% of the people who take public transportation are just lovely and fine to travel with- they can ignore this post (or feel free to air their own grievances in the comments).

But it is the other 5% that can turn an otherwise normal commute into an exercise in misery, frustration or, less often but more powerful, rage.

On a happier note, I have mastered the art of positioning myself so that the T doors open right in front of my face, giving me maximum time to locate and select a prime seating arrangement.

Also, I recently discovered that Government Center’s Blue Line stop smells remarkably like Skate ‘N Place (spelling? no idea), where I totally had a roller skating birthday around age 9. The smell is kind of a mixture of sweat, old air, popcorn, leather and rubber – anything else is as yet unidentified.

Sometimes I wonder about myself.

Crappy lighting/picture quality since it was taken on my iPhone, but you get the idea. The color is Done Out In Deco by OPI with Seche Vite top coat. It’s a creamy faded lilac color, and it was in my Christmas stocking. I’ve only used it a couple of times, but I love the wide brush on OPI polishes and this one is no exception. Application was easier than usual, I had little to no streaking, and only two coats were needed. If you like pretty purples, this is a great color to try!