Oktoberf-m-l

I had a whirlwind of a weekend and an equally full calendar waiting for me this week.  All of these commitments aren't making it easy for me to keep up with writing - but I'm trying to make good on my promise this time!

Friday night the BF made chili and we stayed in.  It was so nice just to relax at home!  The bad news was that I had a 6am wake-up call on Saturday for New York Cares Day.  This is my third season volunteering for NYCD with a group of ladies and I truly enjoy it.  I do not, however, understand why I keep signing up for things that force me to set an alarm on Saturdays.  #FAIL



Painting the fence at PS 81 in Brooklyn

We got assigned to the outside fence around the school so we set to work painting at 9:30am sharp.  We worked straight through until 3:00 and only barely got the thing done.  I hope the kids, staff, and neighborhood residents are pleased with the fresh new paint job!

After wrapping up, I met up with some friends in Williamsburg.  We wound up at Radegast which is a giant German beer hall.  I love me some German (wurst, pretzels, HB, YES) so I was excited to get in a little stateside Oktoberfesting.  The only drawback was that I had pre-planned a similar celebration at Zum Schneider in Manhattan for the next day.  Let's say I did a LOT of "Prost!"ing this weekend and I think I've had my fill for a while.



Hashtags: #NoMoreSausageOrCarbs #GiveMeAVegetableSTAT

Last night after work we went to a little event put on by Urban Girl Squad.  I REALLY dig the concept of this company.  It's basically a "meetup" for women and provides an environment to meet new friends/contacts while participating in a fun activity.  I felt like the crowd was largely new-to-the-city and a bit younger, but I would absolutely recommend it to anyone just settling here.  I had my sorority alumnae association, but if it weren't for that I have no clue how I would have gone about meeting other girls. 

We got a quick lesson on making jam/jelly and chutneys and then had a mixologist put together some cocktails with the jam. 

Blackberry-Currant jam cocktails by Danny McBride

I've got to be honest - this dude had a serious chip on his shoulder.  We got more of a venomous lecture on bar-behavior than a lesson in entertaining.  I feel like the crowd was sophisticated enough to know that you tip 20%.  It was a bit condescending. 

The lady who did the jam demonstration, by contrast, was lovely and I will definitely be visiting her at the Union Square farmers market soon!  Check out Beth's Farm Kitchen if you ever need a cute 100% local-made treat.

 

In conclusion... I DID IT!  Two posts in a single week.  Things are looking up!

 

XO -

Honey

Guess Who's Back?

I keep meaning to come back to this blog...  I talk about it and think about it.  I just haven't DONE it.  I think it's mostly because I'm ashamed of my 365 days of posts failure.  If you're just tuning in, I set a goal on the eve of my 29th birthday to write one post every day until I turned 30.  I think I made it about 6 weeks?  That might be generous!

It was supposed to motivate me not to squander my youth and to try many new things.  Make no mistake - I kept VERY busy - I just stopped sharing the experiences daily. 

In retrospect, I think maybe it was for the best.  I catch myself all the time - so busy with the business of documenting my life that I forget the business of living it.  At times I feel like if I don't instagram this or tweet that - if I don't check-in - it never really happened. 

We had this exact conversation at my book club recently (Selection: I Remember Nothing by Nora Ephron - highly recommend).  In her opening essay Nora (we're on a first-name basis) talks about how she was present for countless significant moments in history, but can't recall the experiences with any detail.  In discussion we decided that we pack our lives with these moments, hoping to create some sort of meaning, only to have them disappear into oblivion later.  Understandably, there's something about that that doesn't sit well with us as a species.  I think maybe our generation has learned to cope by documenting it all...  Uploading everything to a cloud where it can't be lost and forgotten.

Make no mistake, I'm truly glad that I have a handful of mobile uploads to supplement my memories of a jam-packed year, but maybe the holes in coverage really serve as evidence that I succeeded at living.  It shows that I looked at one more gorgeous view of the Manhattan skyline, savoured one more delicious meal, and had one more laugh with a friend where my face wasn't buried in a viewfinder or my smartphone.

With that being said - and on a totally unrelated note... I just realized it's my PAULA-VERSARY!!!  See: The Holy Grail  What better occassion to get back into writing?

It's been nearly a year since my last post of any substance, and it was substantial indeed.  Ms. Deen has been through it this year, but I must say that I still love her.  My fan-ship is unwavering.  Take that, Anthony Bourdain!

Looking forward to sharing (and sometimes not sharing) my daily musings again.

XO -
HoneY

Day ZERO

My co-workers are awesome

From my Android phone on T-Mobile. The first nationwide 4G network.

Run a Turkey Trot

The Holy Grail

I finally met Paula ... I still think she is awesome

I have been anxiously awaiting the arrival of October 11th for a few months now.  I had been looking forward to it as the day I would attend a talk at 92Y and finally meet Paula Deen.

Let me first explain my fan-girl status with Paula.

I am coming from a place that is somewhere between tongue-in-cheek and 100%, off the rails, actual super fan.  I have no idea where it began, but I believe I found Southern solidarity in Paula during my early days in New York.  It's also no secret that I like food and I like to cook.  Being able to turn on the TV everyday and see this woman who reminds me of one of my relatives AND to be able to introduce all my city friends to the idea that butter actually makes things taste AWESOME has been highly rewarding all-around.  Additionally - she is just hilarious.  Did you SEE what she did to Matt Lauer this week?!?

'Sexy' Paula Deen gets flirty with Matt Lauer

During her talk, she spoke a lot about her past and her battle with agoraphobia.  As a person with high anxiety levels myself, it was surprisingly inspiring to hear her story.  The lesson was to make changes where you can but to accept that there are those things you CAN'T control (in her case, the early death of her parents).  Worry and fear get you nowhere and are a waste of time.  I will most certainly be reminding myself of this and take more fearless leaps forward in the future!

We weren't allowed to take personal pictures with her at the book signing which was a bit of a let-down.  The woman had been busy molesting TODAY show hosts since 5 o'clock in the morning, though, so I guess I understand. :)

She was gracious enough to talk with me for a few extra seconds, though, and my friend C was able to snap a side shot. (see above)

Overall it was well worth the time and money.  She is still one of my favorites, and I can't wait to make the first recipe from my new Southern Cooking Bible tonight!

"The way I see it, none of us is getting out of here alive and I don't wanna be caught dead with a piece of lettuce hanging out my mouth!!"  ~ Paula Deen, 10/11/11

Discover the Secrets of Lederhosen

A Swedish policeman showing me how many years he has served

Wait 6 Hours For the Most Amazing Exhibit Ever

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