Thursday, August 30, 2007

Cute Stepi



This is a picture I took of Stephie outside of the Vanderbilt Student Center. Doesn't she look extra cute in her medical coat? She's so professional! Don't you want her to heal you? C'mon, you know you do!

Die bitch, die!



I hate Rachael Ray with a passion. I hate everything about her-- her shows, her recipes, her dumb-ass 30 minutes meals, the way she talks, her personality...I could go on and on. I was in Publix last night and I saw this! The bitch has her own Olive Oil (of course she calls it E.V.O.O...argh) now. I can only hope that her oversaturation of the media and food world will cause everyone to hate her and she will then be banished to some sort of island for extremely annoying people.

(Wednesday August 29, 2007)

Wednesday, August 29, 2007

Open for business




Obviously the word is out about our feeder. There are always tons of birds on it now. It's incredible. So far we've seen chicadees, wrens, a downy woodpecker, titmice, and goldfinches. In the morning when we wake up it is hard to get out of bed because we are so mesmorized by all the birds. They are all so cute!

(Tuesday August 28, 2007)

Pretty!



This goldfinch was feasting in the front yard on Monday morning. When I look at this photo, it is hard to believe that is was taken on my property; it looks more like a wildlife preserve to me. Haha.

(Monday August 27, 2007)

Mimosa



Sunday was a great day. We got a lot done, but also had time for plenty of relaxation. We went to Bricktops for brunch and I had a mimosa. It was bubbly and delectable. We ended up at Bricktops because the other 3 restaurants we had wanted to try were closed, but I'm glad we ended up where we did because it was delicious. Traffic in Green Hills was insane though, because all the "babies" (as Steph calls them) arrived at Vandy over the weekend. The little freshman look so young, like not a day over 15.

(Sunday August 26, 2007)

Saturday, August 25, 2007

Crazed cleaning



Andrew and Chad are coming to visit us next weekend, so I've been absolutely insane about getting the house together in preparation for their arrival. Of course, there isn't really much cleaning to do because I'm already so pyschotically neat, but there are larger projects we've been tackling. Today, for example, I reorganized our pantry. I know, I'm crazy. I know Andrew and Chad really don't care about our pantry, but it makes me feel so good to have things organized. Doesn't it look neat? Oooh I love it. The pantry is one of my favorite things about our kitchen. It sucked not having one in the old house.

Anniversary



Today is our wedding anniversary-- I can't believe it's been 5 years already! Steph was in class most of the day, but she sent me these beautiful orchids. I love orchids. It's been hard to find decent flowers locally as of late because of the heat wave and the drought. Even the downtown farmer's market closed early because there simply isn't any produce...sad.

We were going to go to a fancy restaurant for dinner, but we were lying in bed resting and talking and we both decided we'd rather have tacos, so we went to our favorite Mexican restaurant instead. Hehe.

(Friday August 24, 2007)

Books are fun!



I picked up this book today. It evens includes the wild turkeys we see on our property all the time! I did some research online and I read that you should lure birds to your feeder by placing white bread soaked in water close to the feeder. Apparently it's easier for them to find. I think I'm going to try it with some old hamburger buns.

(Thursday August 23, 2007)

Tube feeder



So I took Kathy's advice and went out and found a Wild Birds Unlimited in Nashville. I'm so glad I went because this cute gay girl helped me and she was so sweet and informative. I had no clue what to buy; it was very overwhelming. Also, while driving to the store, I happened upon Berry Hill, an adorable neighborhood filled with interesting shops. I can't wait to check some of them out! So now I have this tube feeder hanging off the deck, filled with seed. So far no customers, but we did see a hummingbird come up to our lime tree on the deck today to drink nectar from the flowers.

(Wednesday August 22, 2007)

Refresco



I love buying Coke from Mexican grocery stores because it's actually made with sugar and not evil corn syrup. It makes the coke taste so much better. I also like how it comes in this retro glass bottle.

There is a huge hispanic population in Nashville, so there are a ton of hispanic grocery stores. I also got some Horchata, a Mexican rice milk drink. It tastes like liquid rice pudding-- so tasty!

(Tuesday August 21, 2007)

Monday, August 20, 2007

Oddities witnessed from my car



I saw this while driving on route 40. I felt so bad for that poor goat! It must be so traumatizing for him to be crated in the back of a truck and taken out on the highway at speeds of 80 mph in the 100 degree heat. I kept wondering if I should call animal control or something.



Oh, where to begin?!?! There are so many things wrong with this person. Whatever possesses people to put balls on the back of their cars, I will never know. I wanted to talk to this guy and find out what motivated him to do such a thing. What does it mean-- is he saying he has a penis as big as a truck, or that he loves his truck as much as his penis, or what? I just don't get it. And does he have children and/or a wife? Does he feel icky carting them around in his penis-mobile? And this is NOT the first time I've seen this appendenge stuck on the back of a car, which makes it so much sadder.

Roth Vodka



Roth Vodka is different from other vodkas because it's made from distilled grapes as opposed to potatoes. I'm not really a fan of vodka, but it's much smoother than other kinds I've tried. Steph, on the other hand, is obsessed with this vodka. We had it for the first time in Baltimore about a year ago and she's been looking for it ever since. We finally found a store in Nashville that carries it, so we bought a bunch.

(Sunday August 19, 2007)

Stupid bill



This is a $68.00 bill from Airtek, our HVAC company, that I do not intend to pay. Our AC is set to 70, but the thermostat says the temperature is 75. That is way too hot! And before *some* of you give me grief about your AC bill and all the energy we're using, keep in mind that while most people turn on their heat before Thanksgiving, it is usually Christmas by the time we turn it on and then we set it to 66 degrees. So we're thrifty in the winter and spendy in the summer-- deal with it.

Anyway, the tech from Airtek came out to the house and says that nothing is wrong with the unit. Beazer, in all their great and powerful wisdom, decided to outfit these houses with units that work up to a maximum of 94 degrees. Therefore, the unit is working as hard as it can, but given that's it's been about 105 degrees for two weeks, it's maxed out. Why does Beazer have to be so cheap? This is the South. It's been over 94 degrees since June. So now we have to fight with them about this issue.

And I'm not paying this bill because the entire house is under a 1-year warranty and we're not supposed to pay for anything. So if someone has to pay this bill, it's going to be Beazer and not me.

That's my rant for the day.

(Saturday August 18, 2007)

Sunday, August 19, 2007

More wildlife



I spotted this tiny yellow bird outside the window of my study and I had to take a picture of it. I have no idea what kind of bird it is, but I've never seen one like it before.

I feel lucky to have so much wildlife right by the house...except for the black widow spiders, snakes, and possums...but I try to just not think about those.

(Friday August 17, 2007)

Popsicle!



I purchased this popsicle from a little Mexican store on my way home from town the other day. It was delicious. It was watermelon flavored and it had chunks of frozen watermelon in it.

I am happy to have found such a great Mexican market because the September issue of Gourmet has a lot of Latin recipes in it that I want to try, but I will need some specialty items like fresh masa and banana leaves. Now I know where to find them!

(Thursday August 16, 2007)

Wednesday, August 15, 2007

Fauna



This picture turned out horribly, but perhaps if you squint you'll see the deer in our backyard. I saw her this evening as we were leaving the house to go out to dinner. Steph says she sometimes sees deer in the yard early in the morning when she takes the dogs out, but I've never seen one on our property before.

I think something is wrong with my camera. I've noticed that it hasn't been focusing as well and my pictures are also turning out really dark. Maybe it's time for a new one. I've been thinking about getting a new one anyway, but in addition to this one. I'm not sure if I want to get another Canon or if I should go with a Nikon instead. Suggestions?

Furbaby!



Winston is my best little buddy. He follows me all around the house. I think it's the cutest when I am at my computer and he falls asleep on my desk. Here he is lazing about my study.

(Tuesday August 14, 2007)

Monday, August 13, 2007

Dead fountain



My Mom and Stepfather bought this fountain when they first got married and moved to their house in Columbia. When they moved to Bethesda, Steph and I inherited it. So it's a good 11 years old. Well, the pump finally died and I went out to Home Depot to get another one, but then I decided it was time for a change and so I bought a new fountain today. It's just a cheap copper one from Smith & Hawken, but I wanted something in the meantime before I find the fountain of my dreams, which I envision will be a slate kind of thing that hangs on the wall. Then I'll put the now current one in the yard or something. But I like having running water in the house because I find the sound soothing.

Goodbye, old fountain. I can't believe you lived so long.

(Sunday Aguust 12, 2007)

Back to the fridge



Another picture of our fridge. Let me see, what do we have here this time...
-Scott drinks aloe juice to help his skin and I wanted to try it and now I am hooked! I can't drink it straight because it has a sort of bitter taste, but it's good mixed with grape juice. I drink a glass of that concoction a day...I feel like maybe it will help with fertility. It certainly can't hurt.
-Lots of eggs, some fresh, some already hard-boiled because those are handy to have around for a quick meal.
-Ridiculously expensive wet cat food ($0.99 a can!), because Winston is my baby and I spoil him rotten!
-Some fresh figs on the bottom shelf. I like to quarter them and have them in a salad with goat cheese and pomegranite vinaigrette.
-Salmon that I cooked for dinner


I believe that's all that's of relative interest.

(Saturday August 11, 2007)

Saturday, August 11, 2007

Funny bumper sticker



37206 is the zip code for East Nashville. There is a big "war" between Eastsiders and Westsiders as to which side of Nashville is better. The East side has a funky artist vibe with cool restaurants, bars, shops, and art galleries, but you sort of have to drive through a not-so-great neighborhood to get there. While the neighborhood is certainly fun and gentrifying quickly, some areas can be a little rough around the edges.

The West side is where Vanderbilt is. It's nice, but it doesn't have the same quirky personality as the East side. It has a lot of "big box" stores like Pottery Barn and Tiffanys and stuff like that.

As you can probably tell, I prefer the East side. I've found that younger people generally prefer the East side, whereas older people prefer the West side because they think it's "safer". Of course, this security issue is in Nashville standards, which means that all the areas are pretty much safe. Someone steals a CD from a car in Nashville and everyone is up in arms about it-- it's pretty ridiculous.

These zip code bumper stickers also include other little sayings such as "We'll steal your heart and your lawnmower". Cute.

(Friday August 10, 2007)

Brain Food



We got this fruit and nut mix from Target a few months ago. Originally, Steph bought it to bring with her to the GRE exam. It makes a decent snack...we've pretty much hit the bottom of the barrel so far as food in the house is concerned, so it's time to make another trip out to Wild Oats.

(Thursday August 9, 2007)

Wednesday, August 8, 2007

Flipping Out



There is a hilarious new show on Bravo called "Flipping Out". You should all watch it, trust me. The premise is that this gay guy with OCD flips high end houses in CA and drives his rather eccentric staff bonkers. I like all shows about flipping houses (it's one of my dream jobs), but this one definitely takes the cake.

I took this tonight while we were watching TV. It is too freaking hot outside. It is not natural for it to be 89 degrees at 7am when I'm in the car. Every time I went outside today I felt like I was going to die. So disgusting. I wanted to take like 3 showers today. I am sooo ready for Fall.

Lantern



This isn't the greatest picture in the world, but it's the best one I could get at the time. I bought this lantern for my study a few weeks ago. It's from Pangea. I love that store; they have such cool stationary and wrapping paper, and I alway find other interesting things in there as well.

I hope this heat wave lets up soon...I am getting pretty tired of being indoors all the time.

(Tuesday August 7, 2007)

Monday, August 6, 2007

Back again



OK, so it turns out my Birthday Lemon Tree is not a lemon tree, but rather, a Key Lime Tree. Those bastards sent me the wrong tree! That's ok though-- limes are good too. I told Steph that it means this year I'll just need a TRUE lemon tree. At any rate, it is FINALLY producing fruit. I went out on the deck this morning and was greeted by a tiny baby lime!

Note

No photos were taken from Thursday August 2 until Monday August 6. Sorry, but I had other matters to attend to.

Also, I'm going to post all the pictures I took in North Carolina on my Flickr page. There will be a ton of them.

Wednesday August 1, 2007



While I was away over the weekend, Steph bought me flowers for when I came home. She missed me; it was cute. Included in the bouquet was the most enormous sunflower ever.

Tuesday July 31, 2007




On Tuesday, inspired by Becky's great skill, Steph and I went out and bought the necessary materials to build our headboard. It was pretty easy to make, but a real bitch to hang out the wall. Here is the finished product.

Monday July 30, 2007



On Monday morning I drove back home. I was tired and so the trip felt longer. I had to stop and get some coffee to keep me going. I spent the majority of the day recovering from the drive by reading and napping. Before I left, I took a bunch of pictures of Becky's house. Here are some roman shades that she MADE. I'm telling you, she's got talent. She just sort of figured out how to make them. Impressive.

Sunday July 29, 2007



On Sunday we had brunch in downtown Winston-Salem. Here is a picture of Becky and Scott? Aren't they cute? They are getting married next August. I get to do a reading, but this time I get to pick it out myself! Yay! It rained a lot on Sunday, so we stayed at the house most of the day. But in the evening Becky and I went shopping at Home Goods and World Market. World Market is an incredible store; I wish we had one in Nashville. Fortunately, you can order stuff online. For dinner on Sunday we went to a great Indian restaurant, which was a treat because all the Indian places we've tried in Nashville so far have been pretty lame.

Saturday July 28, 2007



Saturday we woke up, Becky made breakfast, and then we went to this incredible fabric store by her house. I got a TON of fabric and some super deals. I got stuff for curtains for my study and the living room, as well as fabric for pillows for the guest room, living room, and bonus room. I also got fabric to make a headboard for our bed. Saturday was a busy day; we did a lot of shopping and then came home and hung out for a bit. After that we went to the store to buy food to make dinner. Scott made a delicious meal of pork with fennel. We also bought the best ice cream ever from Fresh Market-- Fried Ice Cream Ice Cream. Oh my god, it was so good.

Friday July 27, 2007



On Friday I drove to Winston-Salem, North Carolina to see Becky and Scott. The drive was beautiful, and only took a relatively short 6 hours. Here is a picture of Becky and Scott's house. Isn't it adorable? It is super cute and Becky's done such a good job with it. She is INCREDIBLY crafty and I am totally jealous of her skills.

The lighting sucks in this photo because it was about to rain.