Five on Friday and Backing That Azz Up

Things that made me happy this week:

1. 4 day work week/3 day weekend... and going to my first wedding with RJ!

2. new free for me books: Slammed, Crazy Rich Asians, and How to Win Friends and Influence People

3. new headphones

4. Huffington Good News

5. I'm **finally** getting a couch!\

Also, in April I'm participating in another Spending Freeze, except this time, you can make your own rules!

To get more info, click on the link!

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so catchy:

True Life: My Parents Are Divorced

On Sunday, RJ and I went to lunch with his parents. I was kind of happy just to get out of the house, and because we were going to a diner and I haven't been in awhile. It went well for maybe 25 minutes, and then promptly went downhill. First, the waitress got RJ's order completely wrong. When he told her, she got all pissy, didn't even apologize, took it back in the kitchen and came out 5 minutes later with a concoction of the exact same order. He ordered a pastrami/Swiss triple decker. She served him an open faced hot pastrami sandwich... that she took back in, threw the same hot pastrami on some bread, but a pickle on the side, and re-served it.

He was hangry to say the very least. She offered to take it back again, but he was over it. Besides they had probably already spit on it, I wouldn't have bothered either.

So he's sitting there all pissy, munching on his pickle, and his mom brings up India. She's like "Have you ever been to India?" So I said yeah, once, for a wedding. We got wrapped up in Indian wedding talk, which she actually knew some of what it consisted of, which was pleasantly surprising. And then I went one explaining how I had gone to other parts of the country while I was there. But then she asked asking lots of questions. That I didn't want to answer. It went like this...

Her: Where is your father from?

Me: Mumbai.

Her: Oh, does he live there, or does he live here?

Me: He lives in Edison. 

(By now I'm already super uncomfortable, but I suppose I was doing well with hiding it, because she continued)

Her: Oh, because in high school, I remember you always mentioned your mom but you never mentioned your dad...

Me: Actually, my parents divorced when I was 5, sooo....

Her: Oh, when was the last time you saw/spoke to him?

Me: I don't know, when I was like, sixteen?

basically her reaction, or so it looked...

Her: He never reached out to you or anything?

Me: He tried to when I was a freshman in college, saying that if I wanted to have a relationship [with him] then he was open, otherwise this would be the last time he would reach out. And I didn't want to [have a relationship with him], so I didn't respond.

Her: Did he remarry?

Me: Yes.

Her: Do you have any siblings?

Me: Yes, I have a half sister. 

What was going through my head

I was trying to think of some way to change the subject, but my mind was blank. And RJ was completely oblivious to just how uncomfortable I was... I honestly don't even know what he was doing because I was too focused on trying to find something to say. It was just dead silence for several minutes. Either she noticed how uncomfortable I was, or she ran out of things to ask. Either way, it was the longest few minutes ever. 

Me: I think I need a box to wrap this [lunch] up, I can't finish it. Waitress?

::end scene::

If there's one thing I don't ever talk about, it's my father. There's not much to say about him. My parents divorced when I was 5, and I never had a relationship with him afterwards. Do I remember him? Yes. Do I remember the divorce? Most certainly. Was it bad? Yup. 

But I'm not the type to wallow. 

And my mom made sure that I hardly ever went without. And I don't mean necessities. I know now that she wasn't really in a position to do/pay for a lot of these things (still not sure how she did it), but I had no idea then. 

She made a big deal out of my birthday and Christmas every year. We went on vacations. When I wanted to be a Girl Scout, she was a troop leader and let me do sleep-away camp for the entire summer (though she visited often and sent lots of care packages). If I wanted to play a sport, she signed me up, made sure I had all the gear, practiced with me in the park, and was either in the stands cheering me on or volunteering in the hot dog stand with some other parents. I want to play an instrument? She rented it until it was bought, and got me private lessons when I was excelling and the music teacher wanted to give me solos. "Hey Mom, I wanna do marching band." What did she do? She joined the roadie crew. (You know, the people/volunteers who help move the stage/drums/etc to the stadiums.) 

And that was all before college.

Not to mention, every person that I did go into details about it, or him, I always lost. So now, I just don't talk about it. And most people don't ask anything after I say that my parents are divorced. And I prefer it that way. I mean, is there any polite way to say 

PLEASE STFU?? 

Especially to someone's parents?

I'm linking up with Vodka and Soda, and you should too

I Can't Wait For Summer Because...

My weekend was pretty lame.

Friday was fun; I celebrated a friend's 30th birthday party.

We had a sunny 60 degrees on Saturday, but I couldn't enjoy it because I woke up with pink eye... again. I had to cancel on a picnic, which mad me a sad panda. I tried to sit outside on my patio for a little while, but it was futile, as my eye was tearing even with sunglasses on. Ugh. RJ was over but I told him to go out with his friends since I was a lost cause and it was the last weekend of his spring break (he's a teacher). I was hoping to nap, but that didn't work out and I just became addicted to this game (Thanks a lot, Brooke!) But then he came back and made my favorite- chicken parmesan with spaghetti, and even made bread! It wasn't that great because I don't have a breadmaker, or yeast, but it wasn't terrible!

Sunday was a little better, though it was way cooler than Saturday, and pretty lazy.

And today we're supposed to get snow. Hooray *sarcasm*. I can't wait for warmer temperatures and sunshine to come this way! And after Spring comes my absolute favorite season...SUMMER! I saw this linkup and couldn't resist-- here's what I'm looking forward to in summer:

+Day drinking

+Outdoor Movies

+Baseball Games

+Day trips

+Outdoor music festivals

+Short hair

+Fruity drinks

+Food Festivals

+BEACH TIME!

+Later Sunsets

+Bikinis and summer clothes in general

What are you looking forward to most this summer? 

Link up below!

Random Thoughts/Confessions

Not sure if these are "confessions" or just random thoughts in my head, but either way "I confess":

... I refuse to watch Blackfish because I hate seeing sad shit. Why would I watch something that I know will make me start crying? I got enough drams. However, even though I have never been to a SeaWorld, I won't go now because of this movie and I've heard about the way they treat the animals.

...I've always wanted to go on a horse drawn carriage ride in NYC, a-la-Carrie-Bradshaw, but minus the (probably) bad smell. I mean, you're looking at a horse's ass literally, but it still seems like it would be romantic. And now the new mayor is thinking of banning them. Maybe they could just treat the animals better, and keep the horse drawn carriages open so those "drivers" could keep their jobs, and NYC could keep the tradition alive. Just a thought.

... free time sometimes stresses me out. There is so much I want to do, and so little time to do it in. It's like I have one night "free" from errands or social obligations, and it's like... I want to read/write/clear out my DVR/ugh I should really clean out this damn closet/etc... and then I'm like, ah screw it, I'm gonna scroll through Pinterest some more. I really don't know what I would do if I had a husband or kids to cater to!

...my hair looks best dirty. Not a little dirty, more like 5-days-without-washing dirty. That's when I get the most compliments on it. How would I know this? I'm lazy and washing my hair (and styling) takes too much work. #ineedahaircut

I'm linking up with Vodka and Soda and you should too!

Taste of Tuesday: Chicken Noodle Casserole

One of my goals this year was to cook more, and actually post the recipes. While I have been cooking, I've been really terrible at remembering to take some pics! So here's one dish I made last week.

One of my favorite things to make in cold weather is a hearty casserole, and chicken and noodles is one of the simplest things to make. You probably have all the ingredients already in your kitchen! Also, I made this recipe for myself, and had food for like 4 meals. You could always freeze extras though!

Ingredients:
2 cups uncooked egg noodles
2 cups cubed cooked chicken
1 package {16oz.} frozen peas, carrots, beans and corn
1 cup milk
1 can Cream of Chicken Soup
1 Can Cream of Mushroom Soup
1/2 tsp. Salt
1/2 tsp. Pepper
1/2 cup Chopped onion
2 TBSP. Melted Butter
1/2 tsp. Garlic Salt
1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning

To make:

1. Cook your noodles according to the directions on the package; and then drain

2. Cook your chicken 

3. Mix everything together and pour mixture into an ungreased casserole dish/pie pan

4. Bake covered on 350 degrees for 30 minutes, and then uncovered for 10-15 minutes, until heated thoroughly

5. Bon Appetite!

What's your favorite hearty recipe?

Weekend Updates

I have to say this is the first year in a loooong time that I didn't do anything for St. Patty's Day. And the best part is that I didn't even want to. Guess I'm over the whole "let's go on a bar crawl, and pay for overpriced green beer in over-crowded bars with total drunken idiots and then almost miss the last train home." No thank you!

Friday was a quiet night in. I think I was just drained from the week and just wanted to chill.

Saturday I woke up early and decided it was time to do some spring cleaning (thanks for the inspiration Kathy!). I literally cleaned out every closet except half of one. I have three bags worth of clothes and shoes ready to be donated! I found makeup, presents for people that I had forgotten about, and my box of checks, among other things! I got bored with cleaning and almost quit halfway through, but I didn't- hurray!
** I forgot to take before/during/after pics... sorry!!

Saturday night was my friend's birthday party, and we saw her other friend' band play at a bar nearby. It was a little crowded, but we were still able to sit all together and the band played all these 90's songs which was awesome.

Sunday I headed out to visit my mom. We were just supposed to have lunch, but of course she roped me into running errands with her. It's always something. So what was supposed to be an hour or two turned into 5 hours, and most of the time we were running around outside in the cold, which was miserable. But at least I got some good comfort food out of it.

Spanish foods- beef stew, rice n beans, and platanos
#nom

Also... can I just say WTFFFF re: The Walking Dead last night?!? I won't say anything else in case you didn't see it yet, but if anyone tells me to "Just look at the pretty flowers" I'm running!

How was your weekend?

Smile! and Back That Azz Up

Today is Pi Day! Celebrate with these tips!

This is my new lawyer. From now on if anyone has any questions for me; you must see him first! 

What do you do when you're bored commuting? I love this artist's doodles. 

I cant even with these adorable pups! And this little cutie!

I just learned the new meaning of the word watermelon. Did you know?

Confession: Telling People About Your Blog

"He can know after February 12th..." 

That's what I wrote in a note to myself on my phone. Because that would mark 3 months of being with RJ, which I thought would be a good time to finally tell him the truth... about how and where I spend my time...

That was when I would tell him I have a blog. 

Answering questions like "What are you into, like hobbies?" Um, I like reading, blogging, eating out, cheap beer and concerts. Or "What are you up to?" when I was home alone (reading blogs/writing posts) became lies. White lies, but still. "You must be so bored and lonely." No actually, I'm great. 

Telling him was a very big deal for me. Only 6 people I know IRL know I have one, and only 3 of those actually read it. I think I waited an entire year before I mentioned it to my ex, and even then it was more because we were moving in together and he would obviously see me blogging. 

It went something like this:
"Hey you know how you always ask what I'm doing at night?"
"Yeah"
"So... um... I uh.... I have a blog."
"Ok"

*silence/staring at the TV*

"Well don't you want to ask me anything? Or see it?"
"No, not really."
"But you're on it."
"Ok"

*pull up this post*
"See?"
"Cute"

-end scene-


He never questioned me taking pics of my food because he does the same thing. He did wonder why I had a Twitter account, because he doesn't see the point of it, but I just told him that I use it instead of/more than FB (which is true). And he certainly doesn't stalk me or even know the address of this little space. I kind of like this approach, because I can still write whatever the hell I want and don't have to worry about him seeing it! (Though not so great if I want him to know something without me actually saying it...) I guess it was just another worry that was completely pointless!

I'm linking up with Vodka and Soda and you should too!

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In other news... have you seen this? TOTALLY RUINED MY CHILDHOOD:

Shit Men Say #2

So happy this link-up is back! Here's my 2nd installment of "Shit Men Say"... all from RJ unless otherwise noted!

On kids: 

The three kids I'm babysitting were all crying and first thought on what to do is to cry with them. They stopped crying and just looked at me. Worked like a charm.

If I was sent to Hell, it would be me at a movie theater watching a movie and somebody brought their crying/screaming baby there.

And BoBo the clown just ate the souls of all the children at A.J.'s 1st birthday party. 

On Superheroes: 

Joe H: "Do you think Wolverine bothers to use a fork?"

What if Spiderman's power was that he shot tons of spiders out of his hands? No more crime.


Naeem: "My son just asked me if Chuck Norris was dead. I calmly looked at him and explained Chuck Norris CAN'T die."

On Winter: 

"Walking on ice and snow without falling" should be an Olympic event.


People having snowball fights with their little kids are one of the nicest things to see {Awww}

Next snowfall I'm going to make Pina Colada Snowcones and call them...Coladacones. Sounds catchy to me.

Weekend Update

RJ: "So my credit card number was stolen and someone drained the entire account, and I didn't get paid from the part time job I've been working for 3 weeks..."

That's how my weekend started out.

On Thursday, I started planning a little day date in NYC: pick a cute restaurant and go to lunch, check out a free movie, and a museum,.... and yeah. Obviously that couldn't happen now. Le Sigh. Also, I didn't know if RJ was into any of these things, but I figured it would be fun nonetheless.

Friday:
I had girls night- I was a little annoyed because they picked a restaurant that only had 3 choices of non-meat dishes, and three (out of four) of us couldn't eat meat. But I got crab cakes and drinks and it was still fun to catch up with everyone. Then me and one of the girls met up with RJ at a bar near us. Upon returning home, I asked RJ if he liked Woody Allen movies (as the free movie was "Blue Jasmine"). He said no. Then I asked if he liked art... another no. Ugh. And he didn't want a plan for Saturday- he wanted a day where he didn't have to do anything. I tried not to be disappointed, and decided to let him figure it out then.

Saturday:
I guess I didn't hide my disappointment very well, because I woke up on Saturday morning to find RJ looking up exhibits at a museum he does like- the Museum of Natural History. {Cue excitement} A few of his friends also like this one, so we're planning brunch and a museum trip in April.

Sunday:
Woke up early for no good reason. RJ made pancakes and bacon and we started watching Ghosthunters- it was an episode about the witch trials in Salem, MA. At which point he was like... we should go to Salem. I like going anywhere new, so I was definitely down! I was even more excited when he started the planning! We haven't picked a weekend yet, but looks like we're going this Spring!

After that, I remembered by goal of decorating and figured he could help me, if only I had some nails. So we headed out to Dollar Store (one of the only places open by me on Sundays). They didn't have nails, or a hammer. Womp womp. So we just relaxed and made dinner- another new crockpot dish!- and watched Walking Dead.

Overall a very relaxing weekend. And finally some warm weather and sunshine!

Does making plans make you anxious or excited?

Five Things I Can't Give Up

So this idea was somewhat stolen from Jessie, but it has been on my mind since Wednesday. Though I don't regularly go to church, I do go on those "high holy"days, like Ash Wednesday. So this week, though I was home from work due to a really bad case of pink eye, I got up, threw on some shades, and went to the nearest church to get my ashes. It was my first time going to this particular church, and I will probably never go back there. His whole sermon was about how cable and Internet are the Devil's work and we should refrain from all of it. Um....whaaaaa? I just can't get on board with that mentality- filters, sure- but cut all of it completely? I don't think so. But I digress...

I started spacing out while he continued to drone on, and started considering what to give up for Lent. I honestly don't remember what it was last year. A lot of things that others give up, like sweets/candy, movies, or fried foods aren't things that would be meaningful for me to give up, since I don't eat them/watch them regularly anyway. Some ideas that came to mind for me were cable, cursing, Facebook, and complaining/negativity. I'm still trying to figure out what would really work best. In the meantime, instead of giving something up, why not do something extra? Like forgive the people who have wronged you, or do something selfless everyday, pray daily... Just a thought. But here are some things I can't give up:

1. Coffee
I mentioned last week that I won't pay for coffee on the regular, but I do drink it every morning- I Jjust choose to make it myself. It wakes me up and makes me a much happier person to deal with, especially since I am by no means a morning person.

2. Soda...specifically Coke.
Again, I have a can of Coke every.single.(work)day. Usually with lunch, and it lasts me until almost 3 (I kinda like flat soda...weird, I know). I need my afternoon pick-me-up!

3. Alcohol Beer
I can do without alcohol, and even wine, but beer? I just can't. Sometimes I just need the release at the end of the day, or on the weekend, especially when I'm hanging out with friends, because usually a bar/drinks are involved.

4. Music
I listen to music constantly. Commuting, at work, cooking, etc. Good mood, bad mood, there is always music.

5. My phone
Not that I use it to talk on (for the most part), but for everything else. How else am I supposed to keep in touch with my homies?! And take pictures? And pass time when I'm with a stranger on the elevator?

Oh, and one more: meat. Except on Fridays. For 40 days.

What are some things that you just can't give up?

Need some help or inspiration? Here are some ideas:

What To Give Up For Lent

25 Creative Ideas

25 "Weird" Ideas

Twitter's Top 100 

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