Thursday, April 28, 2011

Final Countdown

[Print by Anthony Burrill]
This week I went part-time at my current job in the mornings and started training at BBBS in the afternoons. It's been a little hectic, hence my general lack of posting. I'll be in DC next week helping run a conference that will officially mark my departure from the first job (and also spending my birthday probably pulling my hair out at said conference -- boo) so I've pretty much put it in my mind that turning 25 next Thursday is going to liberate me from this insane month I've had. Not too much to ask of a birthday, right?

Either way, I think I'm going to buy a roll of happy tape.

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Kitchen Fail

Remember that *hopefully successful* endeavor I mentioned a few days ago? The bunny cake? Total fail.

When I was growing up my mom would bake a bunny cake for Easter or birthday parties to add a little pizazz to a traditional double layer round cake. The idea is that you bake two 9" rounds and use one as the face of the bunny. The other round is cut like a baseball (two arc-like cuts starting near the outer edge, cutting in close to the middle, then arcing out again) to create the ears, leaving the leftover middle part for your bunny's respectable bow tie. Frost, decorate with jelly beans and licorice for the whiskers, and you've got yourself a festive little treat.

Well. I bought a cake mix at Trader Joe's and a mix-it-yourself frosting (something I thought I'd try), donned my Anthropologie apron and gave this whole thing a whirl. I was afraid that Chris and I would probably be responsible for consuming the entire cake, so I made the I-should-have-known-it-would-be-fatal decision to go with cupcakes. Baby bunnies. I'd follow the same directions but craft these Easter cottontails into manageable, sharable cupcakes. I greased my pans with butter, lightly floured them per the advice of the directions, mixed the mix and popped them in the oven.

The aroma of chocolate permeated the house. I watched the cupcakes rise (and continue to rise....rise right into chubby bunnies) until the timer went off. Everything was going so well until those buggers refused to come out of the pan. I tried right away, I tried after letting them cool a bit. After many creative attempts I just had to scrape them out with a spoon, all crumbled and bottomless since half of the cake decided to stay put.

I managed to get a few out of their molds and to make the cuts for the ears and bowtie. Chris said my cake creation looked like Stitch. I didn't even bother mixing the frosting. Poor little chubby bunnies.

Official post-Easter decision: I'm making brownies next year.

Monday, April 25, 2011

Easter on Parade

Hello. Hello. Do you like my hat?

The sun is up. The sun is yellow. The yellow sun is over the house. 
It is hot out here in the sun.

A big dog party! Big dogs, little dogs, red dogs, blue dogs, yellow dogs, green dogs, black dogs, and white dogs are all at a dog party. 
What a dog party! 

Hello. Hello again. Do you like my hat?
Hello again and now do you like my hat? I do! What a hat! I like it. 

I like that party hat. Goodbye. Goodbye.
[Excerpts from P.D. Eastman's Go, Dog. Go!]

Friday, April 22, 2011

three! day! weekend!

Lots of time for hanging out with Cat, celebrating Earth day with free coffee, eating Easter candy like nobody's business, making Mother's Day gifts, and baking a bunny cake (more on that *hopefully successful* endeavor later).

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Earmuffs

Driving home from the gym I was once again reminded that -- although I've come a long way -- I am still not completely filled in on current pop culture.

I heard 'The Lazy Song' on the radio today; it's got a catchy beat and a roll-down-the-windows-it's-summer kind of vibe. But I must say that I was appalled by some of the lyrics. Mostly because I thought it was Justin Bieber singing. (Biebs! You're a minor! Ackk!)

Okay, Bruno Mars. You're legally off the hook for that one. 

But I still think you should get your hand out of your pants.

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Spring Treat

I'm always happy to get a little something in my inbox from Anthropologie -- it encourages healthy day dreaming of dresses and sunny destinations. But this week I was slightly disappointed with their 'everyday occasions' pitch. I figured they'd showcase some easy looks to piece together for around town. Instead, they just highlighted five regularly priced dresses that I never could have afforded anyway. (Oh, but the lomo-esque photography is dreamy, isn't it....).

Monday, April 18, 2011

[Sigh.]

A lovely night and even sunnier weather ahead this week. Just hoping that the feeling of being elbowed in the jaw will go away soon....

Friday, April 15, 2011

Weekend Plans


I'm getting four wisdom teeth out today and I'm nervous beyond belief. (My stomach is doing somersaults just typing this post.)

Doubt I'll be looking as cute as this little guy.

[Image via here]

Monday, April 11, 2011

Taking a Breather

Last week was INSANE. First I ran a 10k, then a job offer kind of came out of out of nowhere. I took the job offer and then we bought a car. Whewwwwww.

Maybe this week will be calmer? All I have to do is survive having four wisdom teeth pulled on Friday and it'll be smooth sailing to May.

[That's cat peeking her head through the blinds, spying on our neighbors. She loves blinds.]

Friday, April 8, 2011

I'm happy to announce...

...that you're looking at the newest Enrollment Specialist for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Richmond and Tri-Cities!


I'll be starting at the end of the month and I can't even convey how ecstatic I am. In this particular Enrollment Specialist position, I will be fielding calls from families and volunteers interested in participating with BBBS, scheduling interviews, and conducting all of the volunteer interviews out of the Richmond office. I'll be part of a team with two other Enrollment Specialists -- these gals travel to the families' homes to conduct the kiddo interviews, and then we'll put our heads together to make stellar, long-lasting matches. I'm really looking forward to the great community atmosphere, not only in the office but in the interactions with all of the potential volunteers I am going to meet (hopefully similar to the great team I worked with at BBBS in Portland!). All around, I think this is going to be a great fit for me.

Hooray!!!

Thursday, April 7, 2011

Join In

Get up out of that desk chair and get your sass on with with me and Adele. By golly it's Thursday, and we all could use a little something to get us to the weekend!

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Ding! Ding!

I took Trudy out of the basement yesterday for her first glimpse of a Richmond spring. I figured that the tires needed pumping so I pedaled into Carytown and stopped at a bike shop. 

"Hi! Can you take a look at these tires for me? They're getting old."  Man squats down to look at tires.

"Yes, I know, I should probably replace them soon but I think I'll just put some air in today." Man takes bike outside and pumps the air in the tires, even though this is a self-service pump.

Mission I Don't Feel Like Pumping Up The Tires Myself: complete.

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

So Sweet

The weather yesterday was glorious. The sun was out, the breeze was warm, and I opened our apartment windows to let the feeling of summer wash over every nook and cranny of the place. I got the most delicious strawberries and sipped wine on the couch with Cat. Congrats, Monday. You just earned a few extra points.

Sunday, April 3, 2011

Monument Avenue 10k

I've never run a 10k. I've never run a 5k. Heck, I've never even run more than two miles before taking a break to walk and remind myself that I'm not a runner. But on Saturday the cheering crowds on the sidelines, my feisty red nail polish, the garlic breadsticks from the night before, the sun and blue skies that replaced the forecast of cold and rain, and the other 41,000+ runners put me over the edge. And I ran the ENTIRE way.  That's 6.22 miles, folks. SIX ______ miles.

And I was smiling for every second of it because it was a downright blast. That, and I was in a dazed disbelief that I was still running after each mile marker.
A day later I'm still a little bit in shock of myself. My body is in shock too. I woke up this morning feeing like an arthritic old woman -- and old woman who's been slammed in the back with an anvil. After a breakfast of pancakes (er....it was more like lunchtime when I hobbled out of bed) and a day of general lethargy, I think I'm getting back to normal. I just might do this whole thing again -- well, once my joints feel like they're back in their twenties.

Eeeeee!!!! So proud.