All the Pumpkin Things

It has taken a while this year, but I am finally embracing Fall. Which, as we know in New England, is all too quickly replaced by Winter (aka - snow and ice and everything not nice).

I had an awesome summer, and was enjoying the longer-than-usual warm weather. Then the yearly PSL-creep started. I am not a huge coffee fan, so I do not share in this obsession. However, around this time I made a trip home and discovered my mom had bought Pumpkin Oreos and Pumpkin K-cups. And of course I had to try both. Which opened the door to accepting that summer was over and it was time for Fall. (In case you couldn't tell, food is an excellent motivator for me.)

This week, I took the full leap into Fall:

I went to a Pumpkin Festival...

Punkin Fest in Boston -
featuring pumpkin-themed lawn games and a pumpkin/light/music show

Watched some movies from the 13 Nights of Halloween (Corpse Bride, Nightmare Before Christmas, and Hocus Pocus)...


Baked pumpkin cookies...

Carved a pumpkin...

It's a skeleton. With a mustache. And a top hat.

My pumpkin with Cinderella's carriage and a Vampire (carved by friends)

And finally started working on my Halloween costume (I am a major procrastinator...)
Can't show photos of the costume yet because it's a secret until Friday :-)

Of course, the beautiful weather and gorgeous scenery helps. 

Happy Fall to you all! And especially to anyone lucky enough to live in New England!

Are Solo Dates a Thing?

They should be a thing.

I'm sure I'm not the only one who does the "I'm here - where are you?" text when I'm meeting up with people. Except when I say "where are you?", I expect a specific answer. Like, draw me a map to your table in the restaurant, or give me the coordinates of your parking space and I'll meet you there, specific. I've just never done well on my own.

This summer, I set out on a mission to change that. My work schedule is definitely not Monday - Friday, 9-5; so it can be hard to coordinate plans with friends. And my days off are so precious that I didn't want to waste them just because no one's schedule matched up with mine. So, I came up with "Solo Dates". (Ok, I didnt come up with it. I'm sure it's been around for a while... but it's new to me.)

I started close to home, with a trip down the road to a local park/beach. My usual worries crossed my mind - what if I get lost? What if I get bored? Will all the families and happy couples and groups of friends stare and judge me for being alone? But I squashed those worries and did it anyway. And it was FANTASTIC. I wasn't in a rush to get there, because I wasn't working around anyone else's schedule. I chose my spot on the beach without the "where should we sit?" "I don't know, I like being close to the water" "Oooh, really? I wanted to be back further..." debate. I brought music and a book. I took a nap. I dipped my feet in the water, didn't have to worry about entertaining anyone, and left when I wanted to. It was awesome.

I did a few more trips like that this summer. There were so many great things about them. Blasting whatever music you wanted in the car (and singing along at the top of your lungs). Not worrying about making stupid mistakes, because there's no one around to make fun of you (at least, no one you know). Getting lost isn't as stressful, because you're operating on your own schedule instead of trying to be somewhere at a specific time. If you change your mind about what kind of day you want to have, you're not going to let anyone down.

I've tried small "solo dates" as well. Once every week or so, I splurge on a treat just for me. (I'm on a tight budget, so a "splurge" these days means a trip to the grocery store for some good cheese, or a fancy cupcake.) Throw on some comfy PJs, fire up the Netflix, and you have the ingredients for a great solo date.

Now, I am not saying that these should replace real dates, or social interaction in general. But they are a great mood-booster. And it's pretty nice being able to answer the "what have you been up to?" question with something other than work b.s, or a story where you name-drop your significant-other every 5 seconds. Having "solo dates" to talk about prevents you from sounding like a work-a-holic, or one of those girls who can't function without their boyfriend.

So, if solo dates aren't a thing, you should definitely make them a thing. Treat yo self. You won't regret it.

Romantic Comedies Have Ruined Our Love Lives

Don't get me wrong, I love watching romantic comedies. I cheer for the girl and get teary-eyed at the big romantic gestures. But Hollywood has made us expect constant drama in relationships, and fear that everything good leads to heartache. Let me explain.

We all know the basic plot line for these types of movies: Girl meets boy, girl and boy fall in love, boy screws up, boy makes a grand romantic gesture to win girl back. Cue upbeat pop song and passionate kiss. The End.

But what about after the credits roll? They never show that part, because it's boring. Like real relationships. (Which are boring in the best way possible.) Movies need that "make it or break it" moment where the guy realizes he can't live without the girl. And instead of just talking to her about it, he has to organize a flash mob, or sing outside her bedroom window, or write an article in the newspaper talking about how awesome she is.

These are all great moments to watch, but I think we let them get to us more than we'd like to admit. We are conditioned to be afraid of getting comfortable with someone, and opening up to them. Because after the montage of how "in love" a couple is, comes the guy's screw-up. And then, we're trained to forgive those screw-ups. All we have to do is wait - because as long as he sings outside your bedroom window, it's totally fine that the first newspaper article he wrote contained all your embarrassing secrets, which everyone knows now.

We shouldn't be waiting for the guy that organizes a flash mob as an apology for sleeping with your friend. Anyone with internet access can do that. We should appreciate the guy that makes us happy in all of life's little moments. Like cuddling on the couch watching TV (not shown in movies: the amount of times you have to change positions because your neck hurts, and his arm fell asleep, and the blanket isn't covering your feet, and you can't reach your water and you are parched). Or how exciting it is when he suggests going to get ice cream because you were literally just thinking how awesome ice cream would be (not shown: attack of the mosquitoes). And how much better you feel after venting to him about work (even though you're pretty sure he can't follow half the stories, because there are too many names to keep track of).

We have to stop expecting the Hollywood version of romance, and pay more attention to the little things that Hollywood thinks are too boring for the movies. Your relationship doesn't have to match the plot of a romantic comedy. (In fact, if it does, that might be a bad thing...). Real life should have less drama, more love.

Fairytales & Horror Stories: 2014 Met Gala Fashion

I don't claim to be a fashion expert. But I did have something to say about a lot of the fashions at the Met Gala this year.

Let's start with the horror stories:

Adriana Lima

I'm sorry, but Adriana looks like she just crawled out of the TV from"The Ring" in this photo

Zoe Saldana

What is this knee-gather style? It just looks like a lampshade.

Erykah Badu

 Here's a tip Erykah: don't take fashion inspiration from something that's been made fun of on every social media platform for the past few weeks. Pharrell's hat didn't work on him, and it doesn't work on you.

Solange

Um... Solange... you might want to book an appointment with your gyno. That looks.. concerning

Maggie Gyllenhaal

How did you get here from the 1970's, Maggie??

And apparently the 90's are making a comeback with the midriff-baring style?

         

   Gabrielle Union                Emma Stone

               

     Naomi Campbell           Anne Hathaway               Rihanna               

Kristen Stewart

My first thought was "dead ostrich". And I saw another picture of her where her stance made her look like she was about to start a cheesy cheer routine. Not cute.

Kate Upton

BOOBS. And... is that a fascinator??

Sarah Jessica Parker

The front of the dress isn't horrible... but the back is like a billboard advertisement for Oscar de la Renta. And her hair has a mind of its own... not in a good way.

WHO WORE IT BETTER?

                              

Olivia Munn                                               Dree Hemingway

Dree's looks like the flight attendant (stewardess? what's the politically-correct word now?) version of Olivia's                                 

BATTLE OF THE FLOWERS

                      

Tabitha Simmons                              Giovanna Battaglia

For some reason my first thought was "A Midsummer Night's Dream"... Tabitha's is just so over the top and crafty looking, it reminded me of a school play costume. Giovanna's is a little better but I am just not a fan of the flowers-on-tulle look.

Sarah Silverman

Speaking of "plays", Sarah reminds me of the woman from The Nutcracker who had 10 children hiding under her dress (although I will admit, I was expecting much worse from her)

Nicole Richie (Donna Karan Atelier)
At first she just looked like an alien. But then she put me in a trance and now I don't know what to think.

Katie Holmes

Oh Katie. You look like a poor, frumpy version of Belle. You are not doing the princess justice.

Wrapping up my "worst dressed" is a montage of dresses that look like they belong to Cinderella's Evil Stepsisters (so. much. shiny.):

                      

Rashida Jones/Tory Burch            Jourdan Dunn/Toni Garrn

                      

 Karen Elson                                Sandra Lee

Let's move on to the Fairytales:

Karlie Kloss (Oscar de la Renta)

THIS is how you do fairytale-inspired correctly. She looks like she walked out of the drapes of a castle. In a good way.

Janelle Monae (Tadashi Shoji)

She's like a modern Little Red Riding Hood, with some fierce masculine elements thrown in.

Todd Spiewak & Jim Parsons (Brooks Brothers)

Adorable and awesome and ARE THOSE MATCHING BOW TIES?? And boutonnieres?!

Lupita Nyong'o (Prada)

I know she made some Worst Dressed lists, but I just think it's so fun and creative!

Idina Menzel (Donna Karan Atelier)

Usually the feather-bottom look makes me cringe. But I actually found this quite beautiful and interesting.

Johnny Depp (Ralph Lauren)

I just love him and everything he does. Check out his pocket watch!

Jessica Alba (Diane von Furstenberg)

Always amazing. The color and texture is just gorgeous.

Blake Lively (Gucci)

The definition of perfection. The fit, the color, the hair, the man candy (mmm Ryan Reynolds) .... absolutely fabulous.

Karolina Kurkova (Marchesa)

This is a masterpiece. A work of art. I want to hang it on my wall. Look at the volume! The construction! The detail of those flowers! It took my breath away. I could stare at this for hours.

*All photos from NYTimes http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2014/05/05/fashion/met-gala-red-carpet.html?_r=0 

Know Before You Go

I have been traveling A LOT this week, and it got me thinking about what a process it can be. Yes, seeing new places and people and things is always exciting; but it can also be frustrating, tiring, confusing, and potentially a bad experience if you're not prepared. So I decided to make a little list of things you can do before the trip to make sure it's more fun and less stressful. I give to you:

My Pre-Travel Checklist:

1. MAKE AN AWESOME PLAYLIST. This is especially important if you are driving to your destination. Having the right music can drastically improve your mood, and songs have the power to make a 2-hour drive either feel like half an hour, or 10-hours. Choose wisely.

2. RESEARCH BEFORE YOU GO. In the age of the smartphone, we may feel like we have any information we need any time at our finger tips. But I have caught myself in the "I'll just look it up later" mentality multiple times, and it has not ended well. Some websites are not mobile-compatible, and trying to find something on a smartphone could take a lot longer than if you were using a computer. So spend a few minutes browsing tourist sites/blogs/whatever information you can find about your destination BEFORE you leave.

4. MAP IT. Googlemaps is my best friend when planning a trip. I just plug in all the places I want to go, and it shows me how far they are from each other. This makes it much easier to plan out a timeline, and avoid driving around town wasting time, gas, and money.

3. TAKE NOTES. Once you've narrowed down where it is you want to go, check out their website. I find that it's helpful to jot down some notes about places on a memo pad for quick reference later. It's especially important to note if they are closed certain days, what their hours are, if there is a dress code, etc.

And last but not least:
4. REMEMBER that not everything goes exactly as planned. Have an open mind and some flexibility, and you will have a much better trip.

Kitchen Adventures: Chinese Chicken Salad

Recently, part of my focus in my "quest to adulthood" has been cooking for myself. I love baking, but cooking has always seemed like more of a nuisance. Then I got tired of eating the same thing every day. So I cracked open some cookbooks and discovered that it wasn't as intimidating as I'd thought.

One of the things I actually like about cooking is that it's much less strict than baking. If you're making a cake and don't measure everything exactly right, you could end up with a disaster. But you can make a bunch of changes when cooking and actually end up with something better than the original recipe.

Take, for example, the Chinese Chicken Salad Chop Cups recipe I found. The idea for these appetizers was to make individual salads using wonton wrappers. Well, I decided to modify it a bit since a) I did not want to buy/prepare wonton wrappers and b) I wanted to make something I could easily bring to work for lunch. So I just cut the wrappers out of the recipe and followed all the other directions. This is what I ended up with:

Chinese Chicken Salad

Not bad right? Normally I am not a salad person, but the "Asian Almonds" (made with soy sauce, sesame oil, cayenne, garlic powder, and ground ginger) add a lot of flavor; and the chicken makes it more filling but still healthy. By removing the 4 steps and 30 minutes it would take to add the wonton wrappers to this recipe, I made it much simpler and much easier to eat as a lunch.

Want to try it yourself? I totally recommend "Pretty Delicious" by Candice Kumai. I've made a bunch of recipes from her cookbook and all of them have turned out fabulous.

A Bright New Year

New Years Resolutions have always confused me a bit. People always make them, and they hardly ever keep them. My theory for this is that Resolutions aren't effective when make them just because it's a New Year.

In the past, one of my main New Years Resolutions has been to grow my nails. Every year, I thought "This will be the year. No more picking my nails". But I could never stick to that for more than a few weeks. When I got a promotion at work a few months ago, I decided it was as good a time as any to try that resolution again. I bought a manicure kit, some new nail polish, and all the accessories- top coat, base coat, moisturizer. Whenever my nails started looking rough, I pulled out my manicure kit and fixed them up. Keeping them looking nice made it so much less tempting to pick at them.

The even better part is that I've really gotten into color. I always thought my nails were too short for anything to look good, but I've discovered that having shorter nails is actually perfect for bright colors. And having them painted hides the imperfections that made me pick at them in the first place. I started by easing into it with a brighter pink than my normal baby pink. Having a brighter color on my nails even made my mood brighter!

For New Years Eve I decided I wanted to do something really bold. When I picked out a purple dress to wear, I thought pairing teal nails with it would be a total step outside my comfort zone. So I found this great color, "The Real Teal". I instantly fell in love. We were going to a Masquerade Ball, so I even added teal to the mask I designed to wear. I loved the mix of teal and purple.

Close-Up view of my nails