Number...?

In the first draft of my list, one of my goals was to see live music at least once a month. I don't remember deleting, but apparently I did. But I forgot! I've been working on fulfilling that goal even though its deleted. Oh well.

Point is, it's easy for me to see live music a lot because it is (or it should be) part of my job, and because I know some good musicians. Caleb Hawley is one of them. He's Samantha's husband and Samantha was my best friend at Belmont and I love her.

Here he is playing his HUGE HIT, "Selling Out" - I think you'll like it! I love the shout out to Texas.

Is this okay?

I saw a woman breastfeeding on the subway yesterday.

Lightbulb o' the Day

I certainly don't have a great idea as to why I'm here, but every once in awhile I gain a little illumination as to what I'm not here for. And folks, I'm here to tell you that I am NOT here to print and/or gather documents...put labels on them...put them in a folder...and put that folder in a filing cabinet.

Another successful day of knowing what my calling is not.

Number 26

I crossed the first thing off my list by purchasing and using these:

 

I figured if I'm going to skate around New York City I should have something better than the last pair I bought at WalMart. Those wheels hardly even moved and I learned my lesson trying to maneuver the hills in Nashville on them.

So I went to Modell's during my lunch break last Wednesday. There was only one pair in my size but they seemed perfect. Only they were up on a shelf. I could reach them, but didn't want to risk knocking down the boxes resting on top of my pair.

I noticed a handy ladder nearby but figured that was an employees only thing. So I went in search of an employee. I found a lady who was incredibly focused on putting a pair of pants on a hanger. I asked her if someone could help me, assuming she'd call the appropriate person. She acknowledged the fact that I was there, finished her hanger duties, then walked over to the roller blade wall herself. Where she asked me what pair I wanted. So I pointed. So she reached up to grab them. Did I mention that she was significantly shorter than me? So I kind of stared on, a little perplexed, knowing full well what was about to happen.

And it did happen. She started pulling the box out. The boxes on top started to topple a little. And then they started to topple a lot. So she DROPPED the box of skates that she had originally intended to get, hoping to stop the topple...I don't know. Meanwhile, I figure that hanger lady doesn't deserve this, so I reach in because I am talented in height, and attempt to stop the boxes from falling, somehow gashing my knuckle open along the way.

I don't think she noticed that, but I could still tell she felt bad by the kind way she pointed me towards a bench that I could use to try them on.

Okay, fast forward. I bought them and decided to skate to care group that night. HAHAHAHAHAHA is what you might have been doing if you saw me. Sweet little me, assuming I could skate in the bike lane at 7PM on a week day down a busy two way street!

Well, I did it, mister. And it was fairly exhilarating. I even convinced myself for a few moments that I was a daredevil! Alas, I don't want to be a stupid daredevil (though really, most daredevils are infused with a little stupid), so I'm hoping to buy the safety set soon. Protect me bones and me head. Then I'm going to whiz through the awesome trails in Prospect Park and have leg muscles like you've never seen unless you've seen my sister, Lauren, while she was a gymnast or my sister, Rachel, while she was a volleyball star. Dem were some big muscles.

Seems I'm veering off into the place where I think in different accents every other sentence. I won't make you bear with me on that one. So I'm off to work on some music...and brainstorm which number to cross off next. I'm super excited for number 50.

I see dead ends.

I got a haircut last November at this cute little place that a friend of mine from church owns. It was a great haircut.

I think I need to go back.

Because this is what I do. I sit at work. On the train. On the couch. At church. Wherever. And I pull my split ends. I find an odd sense of exhilaration from it. I love it. I am addicted to it?

I get upset when people walk by my desk right when I've found a particularly good one, but I can't be found out. So I drop it. With all those strands of hair, you think I'll ever find it again? UGH!

I have realized how bad I am. So I decided to take a tip I read in Real Simple Magazine and trim off the ends. I didn't want to upset my long, luscious layers, so I just trimmed the bottom layer straight across. It helped...for a little bit. But now I'm searching through the layers for those precious little Easter eggs. It's a problem.

So I figured I'd get a haircut! But naw...I decided to allocate that money towards crossing something off my list in a moment of spontaneity earlier today. But maybe, subconsciously, I'm trying to prolong the moment that me and my split ends...split.

Am I alone in this obsession?!

BMS: Gorgonzola Basil Chicken Burgers and Sweet Potato Fries

I made this for my roommate, Kate, Saturday night. She said it was her favorite thing I've made and added the colorful grapes to our plate. While my contribution to the meal was a little bit more elaborate, don't you go assuming I spent lots of money and time on it. That's not my style. So let's start with the burgers.

1 lb ground chicken (these had a 50/50 chance of being turkey burgers, but the chicken was on sale - you could use red meat too, of course)

1 4oz. package crumbled gorgonzola cheese

bunch of fresh basil

minced garlic (1 tbsp or so?)

Easy. First I washed the basil and chopped it up. I used 1/4 to 1/2 cup. Then mix the basil into the chicken with the garlic, and whatever spices you like. I used some Lowery's, pepper, and a few sprinkles of Worcestershire Sauce.

Mix all that.

Then separate into 8 thin patties.

Then place 1 oz (or whatever you can fit) of the cheese on top of 4 of the patties.

Then place the remaining 4 patties on top of the cheese-topped ones. Pinch the sides together to keep the cheese in.

Now. I live in a teensy Brooklyn apartment and don't have a grill. But I do have...a George Foreman :) And it works nicely. I cooked two burgers at time until the cheese oozed out and they just started to char.

Bonus: the cheese turns crispy on the outside where it oozes. It. is. incredible.

Since we're trying to be healthy, here, I toasted one side of some sandwich thins and topped them with some extra cheese, a bit a barbecue sauce (I love barbecue sauce), and good old green leaf lettuce.

YES.

Now for the sweet potato fries.

I make these a lot. They are good. I've done quite a bit of experimenting to get them just right and believe I have found it. The perfect combination for the perfect baked sweet potato fries.

First, pre-heat the oven to 450.

Then scrub and slice the potatoes. I normally cut them in quarters and then go from there. I try to keep them about a quarter inch thick.

Then throw them in a bowl and toss with:

olive oil (a little goes a long way here - I used 1 tsp. for 1 large potato)

cumin powder

ground nutmeg

I sort of eye ball the spices. I'd say 1/2-1 tsp of each. 

Can you believe all those things taste good together? They DO!

Pop them in the oven and mix/flip over after 15 minutes. Depending on how many you're making, you may need another 15 minutes. In my case, I only left them in for 10 more. They were soft in the middle and crispy on the ends.

They taste good with barbecue sauce. I love barbecue sauce. 

Happy meals make happy roommates!

File under: Next time I run out of underwear.

Yesterday between work and church I had a little time to kill.

I went to Target in Brooklyn and spotted a long dress that I thought might be a nice contender for my Africa wardrobe. Oh, hi. I'm going Africa in August! You can't show your knees there. Anyway, cute, long dress...let's try it on.

It looks pretty good on me...if I were pregnant.

No thanks, let me just put my jeans back...oh, what's this?

It's clothing tags that have been ripped off.

That's strange. I wonder what they were for...

Oh. Thongs.

Oh. Someone is walking around Target. Wearing two stolen thongs under their clothes.

Huh.

That is weird and gross and...



I kinda gotta give them credit?

Thong thief, you are pretty brill.

BMS: Roasted Veggies and Chocolate Caramel Popcorn

I have an idea. I'm thinking of combining my blogs instead of trying to keep up with the two. I'd like to make BMS (and yes, I did just google "BMS" to make sure it didn't stand for anything embarrassing) more of a feature for now since I haven't had much time to cook interesting things lately. Here goes.

Roasted veggies!

I mixed these yummy things (broccoli, carrots, asparagus, garlic, onions) with some dry white wine, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and herbs. Put 'em in the oven for about 30 minutes at 450 and they turned into this:

I like asparagus. They are like green french fries. Uhh. The broccoli really soaked up the mixture nicely, maybe next time I will close up the foil to let the flavors get stronger. I just like that charred stuff that I hear is a cancer causing agent. Oh well. The vitamins in the vegetables will cancel it out!

And just for fun...

I made this caramel popcorn (took the advice of reviewers and cut butter from one stick to half a stick - believe me, you won't notice) with some chocolate drizzle a few weeks ago. DO IT!

bedroom, brooklyn

My new room is pretty and warm and homey. And it's all mine. And I love it. Have a gander:

Somewhere below is the "Forget" box. Bills, taxes, insurance...all necessary, but I prefer the "Remember" box. The one with the ticket stubs and the photos and the playbills.

I forgot to take the water bottle off the shelf. It is not a staple in my room (but it is a staple on my work desk).

I got this at IKEA for about $6. Notice any familiar faces?

The beautiful view from the doorway. I didn't show you the side with the huge paper lantern, vanity mirror, and the necklace holder Lauren made me for Christmas. You'll just have to visit me to see that.

This is Ezra. Ezra says hello.

Sometimes Ezra gets lonely when I'm gone at work or galavanting through the city.

But Toby is always there with a shoulder to lean on.

Well maybe I shouldn't be left all alone in a room after all. Here's hoping that one day I get more creative with those instruments than I do with my BFF stuffed animals.

And then there were three...!

So I've come to realize that list down there is a bit daunting. Yikes.

Two things I'm doing good at: my progress in reading the Bible in a year (I am zipping through Numbers!) and memorizing verses. This week I'm focusing on a verse we may have heard many times and one that our pastor, Zac, used as a cornerstone in his message last Sunday:

"Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives you life has set you free from the law of sin and death." Romans 8:1-2

This verse is such and important basis for my Christian life and one that I should always, always have in my heart. I'm excited to accumulate all this good stuff. At the end of 1001 days I suspect I'll have 100 post-its with my memory verses stuffed in a journal somewhere. I've got it here on computer screen at work and once I buy a new mirror for my new room tomorrow, I'll put them there, too.

That's right! New room! As of tomorrow I'll have occupied every room in my perfect little apartment. Today, my wonderful (and sadly temporary) roommate is flying off to Scotland to get married where she spent her first 13 years. She was only with us about five months, but she was a super roommate and I loved sharing a room with her.

So now it's just me, Alison, and Kate. And we're keeping it that way. We are moving on up, folks! Three people in a three bedroom apartment...it's the way things were meant to be. I'm moving because Kate has a greater need for the big room than I do, but I'm excited for the change.

And I am celebrating tomorrow by spending my morning in the heaven that is IKEA. It's just a 10 minute free bus ride from me, so I'll be there when the doors open to try to beat the Brooklyn crowds.

Per the usual, I'll probably post photos of my new digs eventually. Until then...peace out.

Snow Day

I spent the day in Prospect Park taking photos. Take a look here!