Oh Hi

Well. It’s been a month since I last updated this blog. I think there are a few things at work here:

1) No one cares about my day-to-day activities nor my musings on random topics.

2) Not a lot has happened that is worth writing about-I haven’t cooked much, haven’t had any major excursions and have just been trying to get through each day.

3) There are about a thousand things I want to blog about. I’m all over the map. I have yet to find a real cohesive theme for this one. Somehow the whole college grad-intern-real life thing gets pretty routine.

So, while I evaluate what to do with this blog, I’ve got another, entirely separate site I’m working on. Yes, this is really just for me and not because anyone cares what I say and do. Yes, no one will read it. But I have a few bloggers I admire and follow regularly, and I can pretend that someday someone will take me seriously. Plus, I need to write. Regularly. Habitually. And at some point create my own site. Someday.

So, in summary: a few posts forthcoming, but a new concept is in the works.

Weekend Excursion

Maddie, Megan and I made last-minute plans to spend Labor Day weekend in New York. After a wonderful evening in Rye, where we ate yummy arctic char, corn, and asparagus, along with a tomato/mozzarella appetizer, we headed into the city. A few highlights follow. 

 

 

 

Megan and I were anxious to relive and/or reminisce about our semester in St. Petersburg, so it was only appropriate that we head to Brighton Beach, or “Little Russia.” The subway takes you all the way out to Brighton (it’s a long ride), but as soon as you step onto the elevated platform you see signs with Cyrillic letters and hear Russian spoken on the street. We hit Starbucks–only appropriate given our desperate search for Frappuchinos in Moscow–wandered down the main street, sat on the beach, visited the bookstore (purchased Russian Vogue) and market, and had a traditional lunch. It’s nearly impossible to find real Russian food in DC or anywhere else, and it’s not easy to make, so I was excited to have blini, pelmeni, and borscht. It was a starchy white lunch, and it never looks appetizing on the plate, but it tastes oh-so-good. 

Two other things worth mentioning, which I don’t have pictures for, were excursions to Mood Fabrics and Beacon’s Closet, a vintage thrift store in Brooklyn. Both so cool and so overwhelming. Another trip definitely required. 

I ended the weekend at breakfast with Megan at Crepes on Columbus, a tiny cafe on the Upper West Side. My breakfast crepe with egg whites, avocado and tomato was delish, but I think Megan’s caramel/apple/creme fraiche creation took the prize. 

I had fun, but I’m certainly glad to be back in DC!

Dinner: Turkish Pizza

Eggplant, red pepper, onion, and tomato with cayenne yogurt and pita. Super spicy but delish!

 

Pizzzzza

September 1

Tomorrow is the first of the month. Good news: my budget starts back at $0 spent, so I don’t have to look at the red “STOP!” bars all over my account. Bad news: the fact that I overspent in a few categories doesn’t go away. 

This is a huge learning process, as it’s the first time I’ve ever actually had to consider that my money will eventually run out. I feel like I’ve done pretty well in certain categories (only $10 spent on alcohol/bars for the entire month, and only about a third of my restaurant budget spent) and struggled a bit in others (clothing, clothing, CLOTHING). In some cases I only went over by a few dollars, and man, I needed toothpaste. At the end of September I’ll be able to reevalute and identify some spending patterns and adjust the numbers up or down accordingly. 

The fact remains that clothes are expensive, I love to shop, and no matter what I’m going to have to make sacrifices in that particular area. My Victoria’s Secret sale order arrived today, and the good news is that everything was incredibly cute and fit well. Bad news? Nothing to return and no money to recoup. Oh well.

On the Menu

Potato Roti Curry. Acorn squash, yukon gold potatoes, red bell peppers, coconut milk, and assorted spices. Served with rice and white tortillas. Delish.

Caribbean Cuisine

I also made hummus, which I’d never done before but will do from now on. This batch was plain, but the next might be garlic, eggplant, or feta. It’s so easy-just throw it all in the food processor and hit blend.

The Perfect Saturday Afternoon

Forecasts predicted storms all afternoon, so I wasn’t planning on having a particularly exciting day, but the rain held off and the sun stayed out. Rachel and I went thrift shopping at Secondi, a great consignment store on Connecticut in Dupont. Secondi has a great mix of reasonable options and designer items, and sometimes there are wonderful surprises if you’re willing to sift through all the racks. It also seems to be a popular place; every time I’ve been it’s been full of women searching for great bargains.

Sunny Day Shopping

I didn’t go with the intention of spending a single penny (given my Anthropologie spree last week), but I found a fabulous pair of oversized sunglasses within seconds, and it was all downhill from there. Needless to say, I left with a lightly worn Longchamp bag (in the mini purse size) and a gorgeous vintage DVF wrap dress (which I didn’t really want to try on in the first place). Both of these items have been on my list for quite some time, and, as investment pieces, I consider them money well spent. I would have paid more than double for new versions from Neiman. I left a few dollars poorer but very pleased with my success. Rachel also found two great dresses and a fun pair of heels.

Thrifting=Fabulous

After exhausting shopping budgets, we decided to take advantage of the sun to sit by Rachel’s pool. We’d also planned a delicious picnic, which we ate in the grassy area behind her apartment building. On the menu: assorted cheeses with French bread, grapes and apples, tomato/mozzarella/basil, quinoa, wine, and zucchini-lemon cookies for dessert. So filling. So delicious.

Delicious Picnic

Farmers Market Tomatoes

Adventures in Cheese I: smooth, buttery camembert, spicy gruyere, and mahon, a sharp cow’s milk cheese from Menorca. Looking forward to my next visit to Whole Foods to try three more varieties.

Saturday Lunch

After my Saturday morning gym class, I wanted a low-key lunch. A peanut curry chicken salad wrap and mango peach fit the bill. Yummy…

Just Call Me Martha

I don’t have my beautiful lemongrass green Kitchen Aid stand mixer in my teeny DC kitchen, so I haven’t done any baking since I left home. Tonight I attempted lemon zucchini cookies, and I would say I was fairly successful. They turned out more like mini cakes, not crunchy cookies, but I was impressed by what that little handheld mixer could do. 

Note: this picture isn’t mine; however, my cookies look just as good as these…

Appearance Upgrade

Working on a new theme for the blog. Bear with me as I play with colors and headers and other fun things. I promise the end result will be fantastic!

Monopoly Money

While sick and laying in bed yesterday, I did complete one fairly productive task: placing a wonderful order at Anthropologie. I mostly stick to things that are on sale (or I only dream of one day being able to afford anything and everything), but this was one purchase that my tiny $300 per month budget just has to allow for. I’ve got a long wishlist in case anyone needs gift ideas or is feeling generous. Thankfully, I had a little graduation gift card to help me out with this one.

Windfall Dress

On the shopping front, I am working on a list of great thrift/consignment stores, along with the bargain bin places that you have to just sift through to find the occasional gem. Filene’s Basement is also just down the street, and they are having a great designer denim sale. On my list for fall is a pair of dark wash stovepipes. A tight budget is going to force me to be creative: if the money’s not there, I can’t afford the pricey stuff I want. I’m going to learn to stretch my dollar as far as I possibly can.