what? huh? (also know as grad school update)

As many of you know, I am planning on going back to school this summer to get my Masters degree in teaching. Since this is going to be a major life change I tried to do everything in advance and began planning this in August.

My applications are all in and I am patiently waiting at this point. Or I would be patiently waiting if this application process hadn't been so UNORGANIZED and STRESSFUL. Maybe because the last time I applied to college I was 17 and had a lot of help from my anal retentive organized mother I didn't realize all the stress....but applying to schools is super stressful. Last night I was trying talking to K and making dinner while my mind was completely reeling. I kept repeating things and forgetting what I just said.

It's just hard with things being up in the air and unable to get a straight answer from anyone. Admissions tells me one thing. The program directors and their staff say something else. All I want to know is what is going to happen with my life.

Anyways, here is what is going on with each respective school...

School 1: This is still my top choice although I have had some issues with lack of response and confusion from them. Finally things seem to be looking positive because as of today I have my admission interview scheduled (this is the only school that requires that.)

School 2: Right now I am beyond pissed at the people I have been dealing with. Tons of mixed messages and changing requirements. Also based on my college transcript review and the extra classes they want me to take I probably couldn't do their one year option even if I get in. Grrr.

School 3: Still haven't heard anything.

I don't want to end on a bad note so here is some exciting news related to teaching. Starting tomorrow I will be helping out with another session of Broadway Babies (it's a drama class for preschoolers I taught in the fall.) I had a lot of fun last time and it will be nice to see some of the kids again.

make me over

Just imagine that I am Tai and you are Cher, then give me some advice on makeovers. Blog makeovers specifically.

Now that I have been blogging for a year and have gotten to 60 followers (woot! love you followers! you make me feel special!) I want to invest in a fancy-schmancy custom blog design. I've tried to do this myself before but I am clueless (pun intended) so now I just want to pay someone. Not too much of course.

A lot of you have sweet layouts/blog designs so please, please, please hook me up with your recommendations on who I could use. There are a lot of designers out there but I want someone who is good and easy to work with. Also if you are a blog designer (not sure if that is the right term but I am going to go with it) and would be interested let me know!

Leave a comment or email me: curiosity.cee@gmail.com

Thanks!

Wishful Wednesday: 3 Minutes

I wish I could spend three
minutes in K's shoes!

While it would be fascinating to spend three minutes in a famous person's shoes, gaining some insight into how K thinks would be a great opportunity. For those of you who don't know K is my boyfriend. We have a lot in common and have been together a long time but we have very different personalities. I am loud, dramatic and love to be the center of attention. He is quiet, rational and reserved.

Well, maybe not all the time.

Since unlike me, he doesn't blurt out every thought that comes into his head, I would love to know what he really thinks about certain things. Not that I want to know everything in his head, but since three minutes isn't that long so it would work out for me to get just enough information.

I know it's hard to believe that someone as sexy as me could be annoying. Not everyone can rock a bug balloon hat while eating ribs, right? But I know I get on K's nerves from time to time, so it would be nice to know how I could improve on that.

All in all, I am very happy with our relationship, but being able to understand K better could only improve what we have!

As long as I don't have to actually wear his shoes...they are not as cute as mine!

Hanna at 10 months old.

You can sort of see her new "dog bling," it's a silver heart shaped dog tag with pink jewels.

She is so girly...except for the whole biting me whenever I try and put a bow in her hair thing.

how the thought of getting free shoes is a mind altering drug

Having basically grown up with the internet I feel like I know what I am doing. I don't click on weird ads, I don't open junk emails, I don't send my ssn to the Irish Lottery or money to defunct Nigerian princes.


But sometimes, the allure of free shoes is so strong all prior knowledge and logic is thrown out the window.


Case in point. This weekend, on facebook, my sister sends me an invitation to join the group "FREE UGG BOOTS, read group tab for more info." I noticed that a couple of my facebook friends had joined the group so I assumed it must be legit. Why did overlooked the fact that my facebook friends who had joined, my sister included, are some of the most gullible people I know? I couldn't tell you.

I joined the group and began going through the 600 or so steps to get my free boots.

One of the last steps was completing this "human verification" thing. It said in the instructions that it might be annoying but it was to stop computers from getting the Uggs. I didn't know computers wore Uggs, but they do. They like those knitted ones.

Well the human verification basically was this big loop of surveys and trial offers. After about 15 minutes of filling them out (with all my real contact info), getting text messages with confirm numbers, then filling out more surveys...it still wasn't "unlocking" the shoe order form.

I realized I had been had and stopped.

Less then a minute later I started getting telemarketing calls on both my home and cell phone numbers and hundreds of spam emails.

Maybe I am not so internet saavy or logical...but I have learned my lesson. Ladies, there ain't no such things as free Uggs.

shred update: 10 days in

As of last night I have completed 10 days (at level 1) of the 30 Day Shred. It actually took me 11 days because I took Tuesday night off. I didn't want to take any time off but the fire alarm went off at my apartment right after I got home 2 hours late from work. Hanna and I were stuck outside for awhile waiting for (not cute) firemen to come and turn it off. After all that I had zero motivation.

I won't be able to do it tonight (going to see my brother in a show) so I am going to start my 10 days of level 2 tomorrow.

Here is an update on how I am doing:

Pro: I have noticed amazing progress in my strength and endurance. In my whole life (even when I was super skinny and in great shape) I have never been able to do push ups and now I can (they are on my knees, but still.) Also, I feel like I have more energy.


Con: After the initial massive amounts of soreness wore off my knees started bothering me. My left is a little worse than my right so I have been trying to ice them. This morning they have finally started feeling a little better but for a couple days this week I was really getting worried something was wrong.

Pro: Overall I feel a lot more toned. My legs, arms, ass and abs are much less jiggly already. I tend to notice it around my face when I gain weight and I think it looks slimmer, also the ring that I always wear (which had been feeling kinda tight) feels a bit looser.

Con: I have decided my "official weigh ins" will be on Friday mornings, but this week I also weighed myself mid week. I was very disappointed to see that I was actually up about 3 pounds, I have been eating healthy and feel skinnier so that was upsetting. According to K (who is not a fitness expert) I am probably building muscle, which weighs more, and then it should start to go down. Is this true? Or am I doomed to be a fatty?

weddings always bring out the family drama

Here is something I have been wanting to blog about for awhile, sorry if it is kind of long. It's just annoying and I feel like I need to get it off my chest.

First, some back story. I have three cousins on my mom's side of the family. Her sister has one son and her brother has two daughters, I am not that close to any of them, but they are family so I have to see them from time to time. My uncle's oldest daughter, M, is getting married in June in Massachusetts. She got engaged when I was a senior in college and I actually haven't seen her since before that, but my mom has so she knows some details about the wedding. To say that my uncle's family is dysfunctional would be an understatement and my cousins have had to take care of themselves for a long time. M and her fiancee are doing everything on a very small budget with no parental help. While we have a small family her mother (my ex-aunt) has a very large family so M decided that she was only inviting cousin's significant others if they were married and not inviting any cousins under age 18. She is also having a cash bar...but let's not get started on that tidbit.

My sister and I were not upset at all that we couldn't bring our boyfriends and totally understood where she was coming from.

My mom's sister's son, T, was a different story.

T's life is basically one long summer vacation. He was raised by his mom, who divorced her bum husband when T was very young. He never has had any relationship or gotten any support from his father and his mom never remarried. Since it was just the two of them he has been very coddled. He has gone through a lot of jobs, became a pro golfer and tried to "make it" several times, had a bunch of girlfriends and dropped out of college at 18 to get married (that didn't end up happening, thank God.) He is now in his early 30s and still lives with his mom (and is supported by her.) I don't mean to bash him, this is just the way it is. At this point he is finally going to community college so maybe he will start acting like a grown up, but who knows.

When T found out that he couldn't bring his current girlfriend (who he has been dating since the summer) he got all mad about it. My sister has been with her boyfriend for two years and K and I have been together for five years and live together. Neither of us cared at all about not being able to bring our boyfriends but T called M and asked if he could bring this chick. As it was told to me she "hung up on him" which may mean she just ignored the question but still, I was happy she stuck with her guns.

Even though the girlfriend isn't coming the whole thing just pissed me off.

What is it about weddings (and other big events) that make family members who are: 1) not helping to pay and 2) not helping to plan, feel like they have some say over the bride and groom's decisions? And this situation was nothing compared some some stories I have heard from other people/families. I makes me seriously dread the drama whenever I end up getting married.

Did anything like this happen at your own wedding or weddings of friends and family members?

Wishful Wednesday: Gown

I wish I could have worn the gown that Lea Michele wore at the 67th Annual Golden Globes Awards!

How amazing was this dress? Seriously she looked flawless! The dress is by Oscar de la Renta and I definitly think she was one of the best dressed stars of the night. Plus I love Glee.

My second choice would be Zoe Saldana's Louis Vuitton gown. I know this was on some worst dressed lists but I really liked it. It's unique, fun and looks great on her. Maybe I have bad taste...but I would totally wear it.

pictures found here

the (not so) secret life of the american teenager

About a year ago some of my college friends recommended I start watching "Greek" on ABC family (which is actually a really good show.) Somehow that led to me watching "The Secret Life of the American Teenager," which, I'm sad to say, I still watch.

If you don't watch it...it's basically about a town of extremely horny people who love to over share details of their sex lives with the entire planet (hence the lack of a "secret" life.) They all have sex with each other and talk about it or talk about how they are not having sex. And it isn't just the teenagers, all of their parents are having sex with each other and talking about it too. Some of the parent have had affairs with other kids parents or have been married to other kids parents. It's really weird. But, I can't stop watching.

As if the plot wasn't enough, the writing is absolutely horrific. After every "important" line someone repeats it. Example:

Character A: I think we are going to break up.

Character B: You are going to break up?

Character A: We are going to break up.

Watch the show people...it happens about 300 times in each episode.

These are the "main characters," although there is also a compelling Greek Chorus of other sexually active American teenagers. And of course, the super skanky parents.

(from left to right)

Jack Pappas: Jack is the Jock of the group and the on-again-off-again boyfriend of Grace. His hobbies include oral sex and football. He also seems to enjoy dancing by himself in his bedroom. Generally, Jack is the most boring and I wouldn't consider him a main character...but since he was in the pic (which I found here) I went with it.

Grace Bowman: Grace is the Goody Goody. She is a cheerleader, Christan, and aspiring doctor (in fact she went to dr. camp then told the football coach about groin injuries.) Her dad died in the plane crash on the night she had sex which led her to believe that having sex causes the death of loved ones. Now she masturbates (and of course talks about it all the time.) She has an adopted brother named Tom who has Downs Syndrome and a girlfriend named Tammy that he has phone sex with. Her mom is now having sex with the brother of the pilot who was flying the plane her husband crashed in.

Ricky Underwood: Ricky is the Bad Boy. He is kind of a man whore. He also lives by himself (above Ben's dad's butcher shop) because his dad is in jail. Ricky is Amy's baby daddy but they were never really together, now he is with Adrian but has trouble committing. He reminds me a lot of Dylan from 90210...except Dylan was never in the marching band. And Ricky doesn't have a porsche.

Amy Juergens: Amy is the Teen Mom. She is supposed to be really good at the French Horn but I haven't seen her ever playing it. Now she mostly whines. She had a one night stand with Ricky at band camp which resulted in her son, John. Her boyfriend is, or should I say was since they broke up last night, Ben. They almost got married but didn't. She wouldn't have sex with Ben which basically caused their break up.

Ben Boykewich: Ben is the Nice Boy. He is the son of some meat baron (who was also on The Sopranos) and is supposed to be Italian, which I don't understand based on his last name. He was very devoted to Amy but then he went to Italy for the summer and met a girl named Maria. He has two weird little friends who are always hanging around. His dad is getting married to Betty (played by Jennifer Coolidge) who is a former hooker.

Adrian Lee: Adrian is the Slut. She is also Grace's BFF, which is kind of ironic and would never happen in real life. She wants to get Ricky to commit and agree that someday they might get married. He won't do it. Amy doesn't like her and won't let her be around John. She likes to give sex advice. Her own mother was a teen mom and recently her parents got back together and bought the house next door to the Juergens' family...so Adrian could spy on Ricky when he was there visiting his son.

Do any of you watch this show? What are your thoughts?

bra shopping

Does anyone else hate bra shopping? I do. See I have big boobs but I don't want to buy those giant sized bras that take up your entire chest (similar to this picture.) They all look like something a grandma would wear. I am 24, I don't want a bra the size of Texas just yet. And it's a bra, not a bullet proof vest. What I always end up doing is finding a couple I like and wear them until they get all stretched out. Then I have to go shopping again. I also do not like Victoria's Secret bras. Normally, I just go to Kohl's because they have a good selection with reasonable prices. That's were I found myself today (after about a month of adjusting myself more times a day than a 13 year old boy) and I probably tried on 100 different styles. I kept going in and out of the fitting room and praying that a bra fairy would arrive. Finally I did find a couple that I liked so hopefully they will last awhile...because, bra shopping is just no fun.

happy first bloggy birthday

Wow, a year ago today I started this blog. To say that I had no idea what I would be getting into would be an understatement. After a year or so of stalking reading blogs I decided to try out writing one of my own. I was looking for something creative to do and it seemed like a good idea, why not right?

I figured it would only last a week or so tops, similar to all the diaries I got for Christmas as a kid. They always would have entries for January 1st (about who I liked or what I ate for dinner)then a bunch of blank pages, but surprisingly I have kept on blogging and don't plan on stopping.

It's been a lot of fun this year "meeting" new people and friends here in blogland. I appreciate all of you for reading my random thoughts and for commenting. I'm excited to see what happens in my second year.

super (easy) salsa

I had a fabulous day off yesterday. My sister and I went to lunch then went shopping and got some amazing deals at Old Navy. All of their cardigans were 20 bucks and we got these cute metallic belts for $2.50. No lie. Gotta love Old Navy.

Tonight we are going to watch the Ravens game at a family friend's house (I hate football so I will probably just be hanging out in their hot tub) and I made some salsa to bring. Like most of my cooking I combined several different recipes then left it up to trial and error until it turned out "right." It's super easy and really good.

Here's how you make it:

In a bowl mix together:
1 can of diced tomatoes with roasted garlic and olive oil
1 finely chopped red onion
1 medium to large jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped (if you like things spicy you and try two but I've found that makes it too hot for the average person)
one large clove of finely chopped garlic
1-2 fresh tomatoes, seeded and chopped
lime juice (about 2 tablespoons)
lemon juice (about 2 tablespoons)
1 teaspoon of ground cumin
1 teaspoon of chili powder
salt to taste

Chill

Enjoy...Scoops work well since it's a chunky salsa.

Random Thoughts on a Thursday Afternoon

-Only a few more hours until my 4 day weekend begins! Jealous?

-I found out today my boss got promoted, I liked him a lot and he definitely deserves it, but I am happier about the fact that when I get a new boss it will take him/her a couple months to get used to the team. Thus they won't be pressuring me to apply for other jobs. I don't want to do that because I am planning on quiting if/when I get into school. My current boss was talking to me about it yesterday and I had to semi-lie. I wish I could be honest about my plans for the future, but I don't trust that I wouldn't get fired. Not sure if that made sense...but oh well.

-Speaking of schools, I still haven't heard anything. Boo.

- My outfit today is really cute (I think.) It's a dress I got from Express a couple years ago and I think was supposed to be for summer, but it is black and brown and I am wearing a black turtleneck and black tights under it. With black booties. Too bad no one at my office ever compliments my clothes...sometimes working with all men sucks.

-All of your comments on my business idea were very sweet! I don't think I will ever want to start my own business but you never know!

-Does anyone know where you can get dog stairs? Hanna sleeps on the bed and likes to get up and down at night. She will jump down but then whine for us to pick her up because the bed is too high. It's getting old.

-The Shred is going well, I have done 3 days so far and am definitly sore. It's not as bad today but last night I was in serious pain. I'm going to stick with it though and even do it on my 4 days off (normally I slack off working out on the weekend but I really want to see this through for 30 days.) Even after 3 days I totally would recomend the Shred to anyone, it seriously kicks your ass.

Wishful Wednesday: Entreprenuer

I wish I had the startup funds to build that company I have always dreamt about, and it would be my online weight loss clothes exchange program*!

I was really excited when I saw this was Kelsey's topic for Wishful Wednesday because I actually have an idea that I thought of during college. It's probably never going to happen because I have little to no interest in starting it up myself. But it's still fun to think about!

Here is the concept: When people are losing weight, large amounts specifically but anyone could use it, they are going to go through several sizes of clothes before hitting their goal. Buying tons of new clothes gets expensive, especially for people who may need suits for work. These people shouldn't have to buy cheap clothes (and basically waste money) and it's proven that if you lose weight and continue wearing larger clothes you are more likely to gain the weight back. Furthermore, wearing clothes that fit you helps build confidence, which is crucial to effective weight loss.

How it would work: Customers would pay a membership fee (and probably some kind of monthly charge) to join based on the type of clothes and amount of clothes they would be renting. We would provide basics that are expensive to buy yourself such as jeans, suits, dresses and coats. There would be a large selection of designers and of course, sizes. As you lose you could send back the larger sized clothes and get smaller. All of the inventory would be online so you can "shop" for the things you want.

It would be great to partner with weight loss companies like Jenny Craig or Weight Watchers and perhaps offer a discount to those people who are also paying to join one of those programs.

So there you go, that's my idea! What do you think?

*I know it needs a better name

oh jillian

Alright people. I came home from work, took Hanna on a long walk, did Day 1 of the Shred, and made a healthy dinner. Feeling pretty good right now.


First impressions of the Shred:

-I like that it is fast but really hard. I'm a little sore already.

-I like that Jillian says things like "If 400 pound people can do this, you can." It's uplifting. And it makes you feel skinny.

-I don't like having to stare at the background "modifier" girl named "Anita." Her abs are out of control and it makes me feel like a hog. She also looks nothing like an Anita. It must be a stage name.

So, I definitely am feeling better and less blah. It has to be the endorphins.

30 days and this will be me. Only blonde and with bigger boobs.

burned out

I feel like I keep blogging about my lack of blogging lately. Sorry about that. I would love to be blogging more but I have just been so burned out.

It's bad enough that I can't stand my job already but working tons of overtime doesn't help. To explain what I do would probably take several blog posts that wouldn't make any sense if you had never worked for my company (not that you all are not smart people...it's just confusing...and lame.) It's not a hard job by means, just extremely monotonous and rigid, which gets a lot worse when you are working long hours with no down time during the day.

On Friday I came home and didn't feel like doing anything. So K and I spent most of Friday and Saturday watching Big Love Season 3 on dvd. I also kind of avoided the computer so I have tons blog reading to do.

The good news is I have off on Friday and my company is closed on Monday so it will be a 4 day weekend for me.

Also, I am going to start The Shred tonight. Hopefully the endorphins will make me feel less blah.

2010 goals

Now that my recaps are out of the way it is time to finally reveal my New Years Resolutions...or goals if you will. My attempts at resolutions in prior years have been a little half-assed so this year I am going to use my blog to keep myself accountable. I plan on posting once a month to update my progress, if you don't care just skip those post, I'm really doing it to keep track for myself! Not that any words on encouragement are not great appreciated!

In addition to making the goals I am going to list what steps I am taking to achieve them so that can be updated as the months go on.

Ready? Here we go...

1) Lose 20 pounds by the end of the year.
I have blogged about this before (and lost weight before) but I really want to change my lifestyle. No more fad dieting. I don't think that I look overweight and I have never been called overweight but I would like to weigh less and generally be more in shape...and hotter of course. This is the first time I am putting a number on what I want to lose so hopefully that will help.
Steps:
-Complete the 30 Day Shred (preferably within 30 days or a little bit longer)
-Make a nice salad for dinner at least once a week. Nice means protein and good toppings, not just a bowl of lettuce.

2)Take more pictures
This one will hopefully be the easiest to do and the hardest to track so I may end up changing it mid-year. Along with it I would like to keep my pictures more organized.
Steps:
-Ummm just take random pictures? And carry my camera more!


3)Get accepted to a Masters in Teaching program
You all know my applications are in so instead of steps I will let you know where I stand with each school as of now. (they are ranked 1, 2 and 3 based on my preference for going there)
School 1: Has my completed application, should be contacting me soon for an interview.
School 2: Is giving me some crap about letters of recommendation (they say that they can't take one because the person didn't say they "supervised" me) but since I requested 3 people send them and they only need 2 it should be all good (knock on wood.) They are going to get back to me and let me know if they have the final letter when "they are done opening the mail from over the break."
School 3: No word as of yet.


So there are my goals...here's hoping 2010 is a great year!

Sunday SUPER Funday

Even though my New Years wasn't super exciting, Sunday definitely made up for it. A very close family friend has a friend who knows Bryan Voltaggio (aka the older brother and second place winner of Top Chef) and got a reservation at Bryan's restaurant Volt. Volt is actually only about 20-30 minutes from where my parents live and since everyone in my family loves Top Chef our friends invited us to go with them. Apparently because of the show it is pretty hard to get reservations lately so we were very lucky. We opted to go for brunch since it is expensive and the brunch is very reasonable ($25 for 3 courses.)

We had a large group (12 people) so we sat in this super cute private dining room. The restaurant is in an old mansion and has very chic antique meets modern decor. As soon as we sat down we saw Bryan walk by and then he was outside messing with a hose in the "yard." Of course we were all acting like idiots, giggling every time we saw him so he probably thought we were insane. He seems like a shy guy (like he did on Top Chef.) He was also a lot shorter in "real life."

The food was AMAZING. The cocktails were AMAZING. The service was AMAZING. Seriously, it's probably my new favorite restaurant.

When we were done eating my mom's friend asked if Bryan wouldn't mind coming in and saying hi, so our waiter went to check and told us all to come back for a little tour. Bryan was in the kitchen making rolls and let us get a picture of the kitchen, we asked if he wanted to get in it and he seems surprised. Definitely shy but very nice...I told him we were all big Top Chef fans because I couldn't think of anything else to say!

Anyways, here are some pictures...

So this is the first time I posting pics of family/friends but I figured what the hell.

From left to right we have my sister, my mom, sister's boyfriend (R), me, my brother, my mom's friend who came instead of my dad (he had to go to a wake), K, the family who got the reservation (their kids and daughters boyfriend) and B.Volt (my new nickname for him since we are BFFs)

B.Volt making something


The kitchen as seen from the chef's dining room

My first course, goat cheese ravioli in a brown butter sauce with mushrooms and butternut squash. So yummy!

Later that evening K and I went to see "Avatar" in 3-d, which was a very cool movie. In terms of plot it is basically "Dances with Wolves" meets "Fern Gully" meets "Pocahontas" but still worth seeing. It's very exciting and visually stunning. Waaaay better then "Sherlock Holmes!"

New Years recap

I have always been firmly in the "New Years Eve is totally overrated camp." Especially, since for the past several years I have had to work until about 5:30 each New Years Eve. Not fun.

This year I had no expectations and was in fact looking forward to a calm and relaxing evening. My sister was having her 4th (and minor) knee surgery during the day so K and I were going to go over to my parents, eat Chinese food and possibly stop by a family friend's party.

Around 4:00 I called my parent's to check and see how Sister's surgery went, no one was answering their phones so I started to get a little worried. I did that annoying thing where you just keep calling and finally my dad answered. He told me that while my sister's surgery had gone fine and she was at home with her boyfriend, R, my mom was in the ER.

Apparently right before my sister went into surgery my mom got really sick and started throwing up uncontrollably. She said the room was spinning like she was drunk. Luckily they were at a surgical center so lots of doctors around who suggested that she go to the regular hospital ER right away. My dad took her and they left R with Sister.

It turns out Mom had some weird inner ear thing that gave her vertigo (she is fine now) but needless to say no one felt much like doing anything New Years Eve. My mom made my dad, K, R and I stop by the party then we came back and all fell asleep in the living room. I was dead to the world when the ball dropped.

The next day was nice because we all hung around the house. I helped my Mom make a big breakfast and lots of snacks during the day. We were planning on eating G&M crabcakes for dinner (aka the best crabcakes in the world) but since my mom and sister both didn't feel great we waited until Saturday.

So Saturday K and I headed back to my parents for dinner then we all went to "Sherlock Holmes" which I thought was horrible. I fell asleep, which was by far the best part. Seriously, would not recommended that movie, it was very slow and just kind of boring. It didn't help that the movie theater was about 1000 degrees.

There you have my New Years festivities, not so exciting, but it was good to just be lazy. Yesterday was very exciting...the post is coming soon!

be back soon...I promise!

I have a lot of things I want to blog about this week including a brush with a "celebrity", movies, books, New Years eve drama and resolutions BUT it's going to be super crazy at work so I don't have a lot of time!

I'm going to try and do some blogging and blog reading tonight when I get home but please forgive me if I am a slacker. I'll be back soon!