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