Winter Fun

Fantastic memories of being freezing cold, scared to death, and that terrible burning feeling when your arms go back down below your heart. Why do I want to do this again? Maybe it's just that winter kick to get outside and suffer. Perhaps it's just insanity. Either way I am desparate to get back to the daks and conquer Ice Slut again. Who has a pair of plastics and campons I can borrow?! Lets go!

On a warmer note: Leaving for Florida Saturday morning. 75 degrees all week. Hello sun! Then off to Julia's wedding in Cleavland. Me trying to get Meagan excited about it:
Fool2believe: then its set, we are going
Fool2believe: grab your lilac dress and flask

If only I really owned a flask, life would be much more interesting. Okay, so more towards the bad side of interesting than the good side, but at least I would have some great stories to tell (if I could remember them).

Ordered skiis from Black Diamond. Hopefully they will come in and aren't backordered. Soooo pretty! And backcountry bindings so my heel can pop out and tear away cross country and uphill! Oh the places I'll go. Someone stop me from moving to Salt Lake. I've always wanted to be a the ski patrol and wear those fantastic red jackets. The snowmobile and fancy litter are great little additions, but it's the jacket that convinces me. I should put all future ambitions aside and run off to the slopes in search of a job right now! The question is, how do they live in expensive ski resort areas like Aspen and Telluride on a measly $8/hr winter job?! Family money? Do all ski patrol dudes live in the back of a pimped out van? I would be down for living in a van only if it had green shag carpeting and I could call it The Mystery Machine.

You can't catch me

I may need to buy a new pair of running shoes if this keeps up. My knees hurt terribly today (but less than the last run... getting better?). Starting point is Sterling's apt in Mt. Vernon and it's down to the Harbor, around, and back. About 3.5 miles give or take, the last mile a painfull uphill past the monument. My legs are solid as steel and can handle the pavement beating well enough. My heart is another story. If only I could get it to stay at a calmer pace I could certainly run longer and harder. It is frustrating to not be tired muscularly, but only in my chest. Oh, the disapointment that comes from only being a lowely route climber with no cardio fitness. I was doing well this summer with my two-hour intense mountain biking sessions up at Loch Raven, but that stopped hard after Pretty-boy moved to D.C. and my jaw started to stay locked for hours after the hard ride.

Night out on the town with Jaim-o

Randomness in Baltimore: At Nacho Mama's with Jaim-o, mum and dad when my mother turns to Jaim-o to comment on the large amount of single men in the joint. Of course none of them meet this girl's standards and she quickly dismisses the comment. Two hours later walking out of Brewer's Art I get pulled aside by an incredibly handsome older man who has lovely compliments for me and my stylin coat. 34, sexy face stubble, dark eyes and handsome and hell. He entrances me in a conversation and begs Jaim-o and I to go with him and friends to Federal Hill. I agree after I see the pleading look in Jaim-o's eyes and end up having a wonderful time out with complete strangers. Ten minutes into Federal Hill I come to my senses and step back to discourage the boy and hand him over to my girl (trying hard to keep myself out of trouble and maintain the mutual exclusive nature of my current relationship). Later in the night he gets Jaim-o's number and I have done my job and start to head out the door. Willy (such an inappropriate name for a large guy) mentions seeing us at Nacho Mama's on the way out the door. Hmm. That's odd. Now did they follow us to Brewer's or was it crazy coincidence? Little bit scary. Drove home incredibly tired and almost hit a deer, again. Side-note: ran into Greg, one of my first college friends... Awkward "so what have you been up to conversations" never cease to bore me out of my gourd.

Life is good, but expensive

This girl needs a budget and her credit cards cut in half. Eeeks. After an amazing month of traveling, fun times, and new winter dresses I am broke! So much for a savings account. Its a good thing paychecks come three times this month and ET has me working like mad. Christmas is a great season! When you are little you get toys galore and all the attention in the world. And when you're older, you get all the alcohol and Christmas parties you could ever hope for. It is merely halfway through December and I am already WRECKED by "holiday" parties.

Last Saturday night I went to an Agora party with Sterling: On the way there, a deer decided to jump into the back of my car. OUCH. Then the night proceeded with an inordinate amount of red wine, being hit on by married men twice my age, and a culmination of sledding in which Sterling decidedly lost his apartment keys. This hardly emphasizes the amount of red wine consumed to the point of dancing in the dining room with men hitting their heads upon the chandelier. Then Sterling fell (for the second time) on a slick patch of ice, manage to climb over a scary pointed fence to get to his car, and get no sleep that night because there were much better things to be doing.

So exhausted as one should be after such an eventful night of party and deer crashing, there was yet another holiday party to attend. With a quick nap and a hot shower later, I was dolled up in my new gold and black Christmas dress for the ET employee party in Columbia. Picked up Sterling and Aspinal only to wait around for Nicole who was busy getting harassed by Baltimore City police without her license. The party was nice and I did get an honorable mention for employee of the year. Left with a hat, a new book and most of my dignity in tact. The after party at Claddaugh's in Canton was the ending of me though. The last time I have had that much alcohol in my system was certainly 3 years ago. Yay, ET staff alcoholics! UG. So after dancing, spinning and slipping on the improvised dance floor, hitting T-Hom in the face by accident on my almost disastrous fall to the ground, kissing Sterling in front of everyone (ruining our secret relationship) and leaving my purse at the bar (cell phone within), I have certainly had enough of the holiday party concept. To top it off, work Monday morning consisted of a greasy breakfast, massive hangover and completely forgetting to come to work at ET that night. When I finally did show up that evening half of the gym clapped with my late arrival. WHEW!

Now I just need some R&R, and the disappearance of red wine. It's a good thing there was someone to share all this fun with.

Feeling very embarrassed, tired, and hopeful that this weekend's party will be less eventful.

tunes and chocolate

WTMD's top albums of 2005! Not only amazing radio to listen to, but a great buy list for my music collection. (Craig, Fools and Horses is No. 54!)

Why is it when I google for hot chocolate recipes, that Mrs. Bush's is no. 1?! Sorry babe, not going to go there. But here is one I would like to try:

Traditional Mexican Hot Chocolate:

6 cups milk
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 ounces unsweetened Mexican-style chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
Stick cinnamon (for optional garnish)

In a large saucepan, combine milk, sugar, chocolate, ground cinnamon, and salt. Heat, stirring constantly, until the chocolate has melted and the milk is very hot. (Do not let the milk come to a boil.)
Beat 2 eggs in a mixing bowl. Stir in one cup of the hot mixture into the eggs, then return this mixture to the saucepan. Cook 2 to 3 minutes more over low heat, still stirring.
Remove from heat. Add vanilla. Beat with a molinillo or a rotary beater until it is very frothy. Pour into mugs, garnish with cinnamon sticks, and serve. Makes about 6 (8-ounce) servings.

Martha Stewart

Christmas is right around the corner with birthdays and weddings following shortly behind. Every spare second is spent shopping for gifts, thinking about possible gifts, or knitting gifts. Suddenly being incredibly domestic I have the urge to make fantastic homemade packages this year for family. They will be yummy and warm thanks to Martha Stewart's snowflake marshmallow recipe. And the best part: inexpensive. This morning I spilled orange juice on the afghan I started for Julia's wedding. Gross. So after cleaning wool and getting little white fuzzies all over my black shirt I am now at work desperate to get back to working on it. Paneling with a seafoam lace stitch and still considering putting in sectionals of another pattern. Working like mad to get it finished before the New Years Eve wedding date.


Someone is falling hard. What was supposed to be a casual fun relationship is starting to turn into much more. Now he is calling me to tell me about his bad days because somehow I lessen the stress. Asking me to join him on his after-work runs around the city because seeing me on the weekends is just not enough. Planning extended vacations together for next summer. Interesting turn. I am enjoying every second of it.

First snow of the year was last night. Seeing everything layed over in white is refreshing and inspiring to get my new skiis soon!!!

Scorpio madness

Lately my horoscope has been deceivingly wrong. Now to understand the disasterous consequences to this you have to understand that 1. I read my horoscope every day like all the other crazy people in the world, 2. I love being a Scorpio and 3. It is right in a scary (and I mean scary) way too often to ignore. Proof to be had by my college roommate who witnessed all accounts of insane predictability that is My Yahoo horoscopes. In certain ways I could also relate my life to a Garfield cartoon if I read that every day as well... but lets be serious about this for one minute and pretend I can't relate to an overweight cat who loves lasagna. Now does this lack of accuracy in predicting my future have to do with me straying from my intended path? Does it simply show the faliability of science? Or am I just overanalyzing this far more than I need to?

I wish my job was more predictable. Yesterday I got to deliver boats and take off sails and today I am bored to tears in my office while the 40mph gusts of wind are rocking the barge: pictures swinging and my stomache, not in its happiest state. It doesn't help that I didn't get any sleep last night because Sterling was sleep "acting" (not talking or walking... just throwing things around). And to cause even more distraction he sprayed me with his cologne this morning in a teasing manner, knowing FULL well that I can't think anything but him with my sweater smelling of man. What girl can honestly concentrate on anything with the smell of men's cologne constantly around her. I feel sorry for the horny, lonely, ladies who sell the stuff at Hechts. What they must endure! Oh, the agony of distracting man smell!

Obvious mood: crazy