What's New With Me- February

As much as I tried to hibernate, February was a busy month! We kicked off the month hosting a Superbowl gathering (not party, as we only invited a few neighbors over for food and drinks). We may make this an annual thing, but nothing was planned for this year and I needed to do SOMETHING this year because my Eagles were in it to win it- and that they did! I was super excited though no one else cared lol.

The following weekend we celebrated our anniversary with an NYC date. We went to see Waitress on Broadway (while Sara Bareilles and Jason Mraz were still in it- woot!) which was even better than I thought it would be, followed by apps and cocktails at one of our favorite restaurants, Dutch Fred’s.

Have I mentioned that we really like to eat out? On Valentine’s Day we went to another favorite restaurant in NYC, Becco. I was surprised by how uncrowded it was, but that could be because our reservation was at 6. It had filled considerably by the time we rolled ourselves out. I say it like that because one of their specials are 3 types of endless table-side pastas. They change daily, but for that day they were a heart shaped beet-stuffed ravioli, a scallop scampi/linguini, and penne in red sauce. It was amazeballs, as per usual.

I was supposed to be spending the President’s Day weekend with my mom celebrating her birthday, but she stood me up. So instead I cleaned out my closet, set up my new at-home beer tap, changed shower curtain and did all the sheets/laundry, finished Fredrik Bachman's novella And Every Morning the Way Home Gets Longer and Longer and the graphic novel Piper by Jay Asher, checked out a new restaurant, finally watched Wonder (all the tears), and got some Keebler cuds.

Last weekend was supposed to be chill, but on Friday Blue was offered free tickets to the NY Rangers hockey game, and you don’t turn down free tickets. The game was a bust (1-4 loss), but it was fun nonetheless. Saturday was pretty gross out, but we needed some groceries and since we were out already, we decided what’s better to do on a rainy day than use our Groupon at a local distillery and brewery? On Sunday, we had brunch with some friends followed by an afternoon hanging out with Blue’s niece who was spontaneously home from school.

I'm hoping for a chill March, besides of course St. Patrick's Day shenanigans. 

What's new with you?

February Recommendations

Conscious Step- socks for a cause. This company has partnered with non-profits for every purchase, making each pair of socks you buy also do some good in the world. Current causes include ending poverty, fighting hunger, educating kids, and treating Malaria and HIV, among other great causes. The socks are also vegan-friendly, comfortable, and cute. What's not to love?!

L'Oreal Revitalift Volume Filler Day Cream- I received this in a Walmart Beauty Box and was skeptical of the "volume filler" aspect, but needed a new moisturizer so I tried it. It claims to hydrate within a few hours, firm within a week, and noticeable reduce wrinkles within 4 weeks. I just started using it a few days ago so I can't comment on all of that, but I could actually feel my face re-hydrating after just seconds of putting it on. It's a little pricey at $25, but totally worth it. 

Black Mirror- Obviously I'm super late to the party with this one as there are already 4 seasons out, but holy shitballs. These episodes are crazy! I could only get through the first 3 episodes, but I'm really looking forward to the rest! 

Queer Eye- I never watched Queer Eye for the Straight Guy when it first aired, but I LOVED the reboot! Loved, as in I watched the whole first season on Netflix last weekend. The general idea is the same- five gay men, "The Fab 5," makeover a straight man- from dress and grooming to their home and eating/food. What I liked most about this version though is that they touch on sensitive, hot button topics, like when Karamo (the black guy) has an honest discussion with the Georgian police officer they're making over. 

And now it's your turn- Blue is on the hunt for a new face serum since her current distributor just cancelled their subscription to Melaleuca. Got any recommendations for her? 

Linking up with Lauren and Bre! 

Shit Blue Said

It's been 6 months since I've done a one of these, so I'm back with another round!

Blue: If we ever get a pet pig I'm naming him Bacon.
Me: No you're not.
Blue: Fine, I'll name him Kevin.
Me: Why?
Blue: .... (facepalm)

Blue: Which cirque show are we seeing?
Me: The sexy one
Blue: Cirque du Get Laid?

On going vegan...

Based off of the NY State Lotto commercial...

Me: My llama socks are out of stock.
Blue: Alpaca 'nother pair for you. 


Blue: When are chickens just chickens? Why are there hens and roosters, that's a lot of pressure for a lil chick. Cockadoodledoo- Any cock will do!

Finding a gift for my brother-in law...

me: They're out of [beer] steins.

Blue: It's ok. It was either a stein or pre-packaged emotional intelligence which I think is all he needs and is probably on backorder. 

Blue: Tommy, why is my light humming?

Tommy: Because it doesn't know the words.

All read and approved by Blue before posting.
You can find other Shit Blue Said here: Vol. 1, Vol. 2, Vol.3, Vol. 4, Vol. 5, Vol. 6, Vol. 7

Top 10 Memories with Blue

Happy Valentine's Day friends! In honor of this "love"-ly holiday, I'm joining Erin in sharing my 10 Favorite memories with Blue! 

Rochester, NY: This was our first trip together. I should point out that we like doing random things, and what made this was the randomness of it. The main purpose of this trip was to try a garbage plate at Nick Tahoe’s. I’m not even kidding. But we did other completely random things too, like attend a Pink Floyd laser show at the planetarium, sample hot toddies at Black Button distillery and check out the kitschy bar across from our hotel. So much fun packed into one short weekend, even with the onset of a snow storm!

garbage plate success

Puerto Rico: There were so many memorable moments in PR that I honestly can’t pick just one. Getting lost and winding up in a dead end surrounded by wild dogs with no cell service in the middle of El Yunque National Rain Forest, introducing Blue to my best friend, her family, and my godson, and checking off an item on my bucket list (swimming with sea turtles!) were all wonderful memories!

Blue and I are center top!

Bourbon Trail: We’ve made a tradition of going away for my birthday every year and for my first birthday trip, we drove from NJ to Ohio to Kentucky and back (mostly because we wanted to bring back all that sweet, smoky bourbon!). We stopped in Ohio because one of Blue’s friends lives there, and we decided to stay there overnight. I’d never met this friend, but Blue organized for her to get me my favorite- ice cream cake!- complete with candles and all! It was so sweet and I couldn’t believe this stranger (at the time) went out of her way to make my day extra special. Other highlights included a Christmas dinner train ride with the Clauses, a Holiday Extravaganza at Jim Beam Still House, dipping my own bottle at Maker’s Mark, and attempting to see a meteor shower in a forest. I say attempting because it was too cloudy so we were redirected into a small room and trapped in a very serious small group discussion on skies and meteors (think Big Bang Theory, but no humor) and we escaped during a coffee break- but it was SO random and such a fail that it actually made a hilarious memory!

Jim Beam Extravaganza

New Orleans: This was another birthday trip, and one of the top places on my “Must Visit” list. Blue was sick but was a trooper. Top memories include freezing our asses off on a steamboat ride, barhopping down Bourbon Street, seeing Blue light up at a jazz show at Preservation Hall, and line dancing with midgets dressed as Mr. and Mrs. Clause at a Tale of the Toddies cocktail event!

should've been our Christmas card

Islamorada/Key West/Miami: Our spring getaway to Key West stole my heart so much so that it’s one of the few places I need to revisit. Unlike most vacations, I didn’t plan a whole lot for this trip, as the purpose was to relax. My favorite memories include our first night where we drank too much at the hotel rum bar and I fell out of a hammock (inciting a gigglefest), an absolutely delicious Cuban dinner followed by smoking hookah in Miami, and a sunset cruise in Key West. Magical.

sunset cruise with the captain and Mopey Batman

Philly: One of the things I love most is going to food festivals. That was the premise of our weekend getaway to Philly- The Cheesesteak Festival. We stayed at a little Air BNB in Center City and wandered into a jazz festival. We strolled through a tiny, over packed thrift shop, and took too many pictures at the Magic Gardens. We met Steph and ran into Philly Jesus by the Love statue. And of course, we ate a ton of delicious cheesesteaks!

we throw an annual Halloween party- this was the first!

There were other trips and dates, but not all of my favorite memories with Blue were some big event or vacation. Sometimes it's the smaller, seemingly insignificant at the time moments that become the most memorable. For instance...

Dr office: Have you ever brought a significant other to the doctor with you? I hadn't until last month. This wasn't a favorite moment in terms of fun, but it was a moment of feeling safe and cared for. I'm sure there's a much more eloquent way of describing this, but words are failing me right now. Hopefully you understand what I mean. 

We go glamping every year which always makes for fun memories!

Nessie: I don't think this is a big secret, but I don't like cooking. I don't like doing it, I'm not very good at it, and I've never tried to hide it. But I think this became the most apparent the first time I invited Blue over for dinner. I was making the Budget Byte's Italian Wonderpot. It calls for frozen spinach, which I unceremoniously dumped out of the packaging and into the pot with a loud "thud." Blue thought this was so hilarious that she posted a pic of it on Facebook with a caption "There are defining moments in a relationship, like when you decide who will do the majority of the cooking moving forward." To this day she still makes fun of me for this dish. (For the record, she devoured it that night, and asks for it now regularly.)

#LookingForNessie

The Couple That Binge Watches Together... or something: Some say that watching TV isn't really spending "quality time" together, but I disagree. Maybe it's because we don't just watch TV with intent (as opposed to mindlessly flipping channels), but we have shows that we've binged together from start to finish, shows that we cannot watch without the other person present, and "themes" around certain shows. The example below: at the season premiere of each Orange is the New Black, we binge with "prison foods" like chili cheese dogs and easy mac, and drinks, like Litchfield (spiked) Lemonade and Big Blue's Screwdrivers (the character on the show, not to be confused with my Blue). Also, Gilmore Girls shirts for the reboot (not pictured: lots of coffee!). 

The search for the cronuts. I’m laughing out loud just thinking about this. When cronuts first became a thing, we went in search of the original at Benny's Luncheonette. This place is about 20 min away from us, or should be. I think it took us nearly an hour after making the same wrong turn multiple times ("Big Ben! Parliament!"). Blue got so infuriated that she had to pull into an empty parking lot to try to calm down. Meanwhile, I’m trying not to burst out laughing until she finally said “Let it out, Dani!” and I couldn’t hold back any longer. She realized how ridiculous she was being and started snorting with laughter. 

Well that was a fun walk down memory lane! What are some of your favorite memories with your s/o or spouse? 

Show Us Your Books

It's one of my favorite days in blog-land, one where my TBR gets even longer but I find great new and interesting reads, so let's dive right in! 

Where'd You Go, Bernadette? - Maria Sempe: 4 Stars
library e-book

I liked how this story was told mostly through letters, emails, and correspondence. I also really liked all the different points of view the story was told from, and it was interesting to see the inner workings of someone who was having a nervous breakdown versus how everyone else saw her. I loved the dry humor and sarcasm, how quirky everyone was, how the characters were fleshed out and even made me like characters I started out hating. It was a little slow moving in the beginning, but once I got into it I was hooked,staying up late just to figure out what the heck happened! I'm excited for the movie now too!

Eleven- Sandra Cisneros: 4 Stars
internet

I've never thought about age as Sandra's describes it here, but it actually makes a lot of sense. I could totally relate to Rachel's frustrations, and people from any age could actually learn a lot from it for being so short. It's 3 pages long. You can read it here or here.

Love in Lower Case- Francesc Miralles: 2.5 Stars
library e-book

Short description: A 40-ish loner linguistics professor lets in a cat, and his world opens up. He also obsesses over a girl from his childhood after a brief glance.

I feel like maybe there was something lost in the translation of this one. I thought it was going to be a cute, fluffy love story. Though it had some elements of that, it was more about Samuel and his own self-discovery, but his "woe is me" melodramatic bullshit was really annoying. Lines like this: "The wound was so deep I had to go somewhere to lick it in order not to bleed to death." Seriously?? And Gabriela- what a bitch! I didn't actually care for any of the characters except maybe the vet and Titus. Also, how are you suddenly "so in love" after never having a real conversation? I also got too involved in the whole Dark Side of the Moon elements and trying to figure out wtf Valdemar was talking about because I thought it had more to do with the story than it turned out. And had a lot of literary references and philosophical thoughts (with the exception of the one below) that just went over my head. If it wasn't such a short read, I wouldn't have finished it.

"'Let us be thankful, for if we have
not learned a lot today,
we ahve at least learned a little; and
if we have not learned a little,
we have at least not fallen ill; and if
we have fallen ill,
we have at least not died, and for
this we are thankful.'" - Buddha

Jess, Chunk, and the Road Trip to Infinity- Kristin Elizabeth Clark: 3 Stars
library e-book

This one is about a trans high schooler trying to convince her father to accept her as she is, and coming to terms with being in love with her best friend. I was really interested in the premise of this one, and it brought up a lot of interesting ideas and questions, but the extremely immature writing made this one hard to get through. Example: "My chest squeezes, and I want to say it's our road trip, but I don't. Instead I go all dork on his ass." What is that??! 

Jess is a self-absorbed, selfish person. Obviously Chunk is self-conscious about his size, as he's crash-dieting throughout the road trip, but Jess never thinks to call him by his actual name (Chuck), or that anyone could care about how much they look more than her.  I hated that it took Chuck so long to call her out on it. I didn't like how Chuck dealt with that or with her in general- ignoring her on a road trip is not going to make her go away or fix anything. And then the whole Lizard thing- like I understand why he did it, but the timing was terrible. And I was hoping more of what their new friend Annabelle was saying would have actually gotten through to Jess and made a bigger impression other than that Chuck might be interested in her. I didn't see her grow or change until the end, and then even though she seems to understand, she doesn't seem to do anything about it, and then all of a sudden it's the end. 

Favorite quotes:

"'People are always more than one thing,' he says."

"It's never occurred to me that I'm not the only one who sees myself differently from the way other people do. That other people struggle with image and self-image in different ways. There is Chuck and his weight; Annabelle and her cigarette-smoking, magenta-haired self, hiding the fact that she's a premed nerd. Does it make the way we see ourselves any less valid if other people don't share our vision? I decide it doesn't."

What are you reading lately?

February Goals

January Recap:

• Respond to emails/comments in a more timely manner- I think so? AT work, definitely. My personal email, still a work in progress
• Dentist appointment- nope
• Lady doctor appointment- check
• Fill in new planner- check
• Gain weight- Uncertain because I just realized that my scale is broken. 
• Participate in Erin's 8.0 Reading Challenge. (Ongoing until 4/30)- check!

(5) Freebie: Tiny Beautiful Things: Advice on Love and Life from Dear Sugar- Cheryl Strayed

(10) Starts with "L": Little Fires Everywhere- Celeste Ng

(10) Red Cover: Love in Lowercase- Francesc Miralles

(15) Name of Character in Title: Where'd You Go, Bernadette?- Maria Sempe

(20) Book Riot: Here Comes The Sun- Nicole Y. Dennis-Benn

(20) House/Home: White Houses- Amy Bloom

(25) Double Initials: Emma in the Night- Wendy Walker

(30) Different Language: The Invoice- Jonas Karlsson

(30) Form of Transportation(road trip): Jess, Chunk, and the Road to Infinity- Kristin Elizabeth Clark

(35) Physical Illness: Me, Earl, and the Dying Girl- Jesse Andrews Tell The Wolves I'm Home- Carol Rifka Brunt

February Goals

• Dentist appointment 
• Schedule iPhone battery fix
• Purchase a new scale 
• Get taxes done (scheduled for 2/22) 
• Continue working on Erin's Reading Challenge
• Upload, organize and delete phone pictures- there's no storage on there, again. sigh. 
• Book Florida vacation- we have a wedding in Key West in June so it's time to book it!
• Book another getaway- Blue is itching for a break in March (eek!) so need to get on that too.
• Clean out one closet- MUST. I've been throwing random things in there and gotta get it under control again! 

What goals are you working on this month? 

Linking up with The Peaceful Posse and Nicole