Pretty Peonies

The other week I came across a photo album of Martha Stewart’s peonies. They are probably my favorite flowers and they are in full bloom in June. Her album can be viewed here, but I wanted to share my favorite picture. Doesn’t it just brighten your day?

This morning I went outside at the normal time to catch the bus and I saw it driving by. WHAT, the bus coming early? I was pissed and had to wait around 15 minutes for another. Work was same old, nothing new and exciting. Tommy and I did lunch, which we haven’t done in a long time even though we now are in the same group!

After work I went for a run as the weather was cool. Gotta take advantage of days under 90 degrees while I can! Instead of studying for the GMAT and eating dinner I decided it was time to watch the Netflix I’ve had for awhile: El Orfanato (The Orphanage). The movie is directed by the same guy as Pan’s Labyrinth and was recommend by my sister. The movie was a little scary and my DVD remote doesn’t work, hence I could not get the English subtitles to show up, so I watched the whole thing in Spanish. There we go, expand my mind with Espanol instead of GMAT sentence correction! I definitely missed some lines, but I got the general idea.

After watching the movie I needed to get out of my apartment… I didn’t want ghosts of orphans scaring me, so I took a walk to McDonalds on 18th St and got some vanilla softserve, once home I ate some cucumbers, to cancel out the ice cream. That works right? At this point it was only 9pm, so I decided to do a little GMAT, then read East of Eden before going to bed. Tomorrow is FRIDAY, yay.

 

So Last Season…

I awoke to the roosters crow at 6:10am and was in a cab on my way to the National Press Club by 6:40. I was a good little helper at our event and got to take home some pretty flowers. Hydrangeas and orchids with some big leaves mixed in. My desk is quite tranquil as a result.

During work I read an article about one of my favorite bloggers in the Times, which led me to another blog, and then another. Before I knew it half the day was gone. Whoops! But, it really did get me thinking about blogging, how mainstream it’s become, and how fun it is. I’m not going to be the next Perez, but it’s fun to do. Thanks Boo for being my muse… Can boys be muses? I think Marc Jacobs uses his gay bf as a muse…

Later in the day I found another blog all about the Park Ave high life and noticed some lady was wearing the same Anthropologie dress I have from LAST SEASON. Somebody at a seen and be seen Manhattan cocktail party 1) Wore Anthro, not Oscar? and 2) Dared to wear something from last summer? Wow. Gossip Girl would have picked that one up in a second. Good thing I am here in real life! Feast your eyes, it’s the chick in the middle.

Since I’d started work supah early I took off at 5pm and went to advanced pilates. Even though I’ve been coming quite frequently in the past few weeks, the teacher never remembers me! This time she thought I was another teacher at the gym. I usually wear the same Lululemon top too, don’t tell me this shirt is hard to forget.

After pilates I read the newest Lucky on the elliptical and had a free banana chocolate smoothie. MINT always has smoothie samples out in the evenings. I’ve never had to buy one because I can try all their creations for free - though the membership fee is a little steeper than Gold’s Gym - I guess you inadvertently pay for it (did I use the dashes right?).

I had my leftover chicken and risotto for dinner and did some GMAT studying on sentence correction. As a result, I have been wondering this whole time how my grammar is in this post (likely atrosh). Before bed I made myself a Absolut Ruby Red and soda and watched some television.

MMMMM Ruby Red…

 

Top Chef Char

This morning I took an 8:30am flight from Boston to DC. It was oversold and I was tempted to give up my seat and take a $300 voucher, but someone else beat me to it! Oh well, no free trips. I was in the office by 10:30 and had a lot to do at work today.

I made a lunch trip to Trader Joe’s and got some salami for sandwiches. I was craving some Italian MEAT. No idea why. I also picked up some chicken and a few other sundries, including coconut chicken taquitos, recommended by a co-worker. Full review of them to follow. I am thinking of serving them at book club if they are good!

Once home I cleaned out my DVR and watched a great episode of Barefoot Contessa. She was making lamb kabobs, and since that amazing lamb at the wedding this weekend I’ve been thinking of dabbling. Her recipe seemed simple enough and used lamb shoulder. I am going to try it soon.

The show also inspired me to make my own marinade for my chicken. Playing on Ina’s lamb I mixed together some olive oil, lemon juice, fresh lavender, fresh garlic, and some Herbs de Provence from Penzys. The result was delish. I am so going to be the next Top Chef. My lavender is out of control and I needed to use some!

I also made some mushroom risotto from Trader Joe’s. I’d bought a box long ago, left it at Marc’s house, and then he decided to take it to North Carolina with him (on purpose). I bought another box and knew it would go well with my chicken. I’ve never done risotto on my own, so I was a bit nervous. Luckily all went well, I just followed the directions like my Dad always taught me and it came out great. I used chicken stock (the recipe gave you a choice between stock or water), which I would highly recommend. I also added some Parmesan at the end - necessary for a rockin’ risotto. If I’d had fresh mushrooms on hand they would have been great too. This is the box, go out and get your own, or if you’re Marc, just steal your girlfriends!

After dinner I decided to go for a walk. I was too tired for a run and it was a perfect breezy night to stroll (or power walk). Kalorama was calling my name, so I walked down Wyoming and Kalorama, peering into the ambassadors residences and awesome houses, it’s nice to dream… Before bed I watched some Ugly Betty and called it an early night. I have to get up early for an event in the AM.

 

Javaberry

I got to stay in Boston today for some client meetings. The first one wasn’t until 12pm, so I slept in until 8am, wahoo. Since I went to bed around 10 that was like 10 hours. I needed it. Once I was up I went for a run through Wayland. I messed up the route a little and ended up doing 4 miles, but it felt great. The weather was cool and cloudy, so I didn’t get hot at all.

At noon I met Kate in Harvard Square and we made our way to the first meeting. The client had never confirmed, so we just showed up and played dumb. The method worked and we met with her for a little. Afterwards, since it wasn’t sunny (ie we could not go to the pool at WSTC) we did some shopping and had a yummy lunch at The Border Cafe, a Harvard Square staple.

After some Mexicano we drove all the way out to Stowe MA. It was a nice little drive thru the burbs and the meeting we had lasted less than an hour. We drove back to my house on Route 117, a perfect example of a New Englandey little road. It also happens to run right past Dairy Joy. Kate had to experience it, so we stopped and got Javaberry Ice cream dipped in chocolate.

Any Weston/Wayland/Lincoln etc kid can tell you that Javaberry is coffee ice cream and raspberry sherbet twisted and then dipped in chocolate. If I didn’t have Marc, Javaberry would be my number one (after Pia and my Blackberry). It tastes like heaven.

Kate dropped me off at home where I proceeded to watch two more episodes of the Tudors and do a little bit of work. My Dad always seems to walk in the room during the “uncomfortable” scenes, and low and behold, he got home from work right when Anne Boleyn and Henry were going at it. Oops.

We had some Filet Mignon for dinner that just melted in your mouth. I packed up my stuff (tear) and at 10pm we watched the season premiere of Weeds. It’s one of my favorite shows, and this season is going to be really different! It was nice to be with my parents all weekend, they are so fun to hang out with.

 

Father’s Day

Kathryn and I had a lovely little morning in Boston. We stayed at the Park Plaza Hotel after the wedding, right in the South End. For breakfast we got some latte’s and pastries at a little cafe on Newbury Street. Since the weather was crappy and cold we didn’t stick around.

My parent’s picked me up around noon and we headed to a new restaurant in Wellesley called The Cottage. The owners have a similar place in La Jolla California and this Wellesley place was hopping with families celebrating the holiday. We all had Bloody Mary’s and egg dishes. Before brunch I had the chance to talk to Marc, far far away in Singapore. It was good to hear his voice and know he hadn’t been arrested for chewing gum!

After lunch we hit up CVS and Roche Brothers grocery store, a lovely little Sunday. On the way home we drove by the house I spent the first 4 years of my life in, it’s such a cute little Wellesley neighborhood. Why did Mom and Dad have to have other kids? Gawd, we could have stayed there.

As soon as we got home I passed out, weddings are exhausting. I woke up around 6ish, watched an episode of The Tudors (parents have Showtime, I don’t), such a good show… I love historical drama, especially when it has to do with Henry VIII and his wives.

We had a light dinner and watched a bit of the Celtics game. I was out cold by 10:15!

 

Water Exercise and Wedding Bells

This morning I woke up early and went to a water aerobics class with my Mom. She goes all the time, and as a result has a pretty hot bod, so I wanted to give it a whirl. Boy is it a workout. You are using the resistance of the water to work all your muscles. I quite enjoyed “running” and “skiing” in the water, and doing sit ups and arm work. I’ll be sore tomorrow.

I managed to fit in some tanning time since we were done with the class by 9am. Then my parents and I headed to Dairy Joy for lunch, this little place in Weston that serves burgers, fries and ice cream. It’s a staple in the area and when I was little I thought there were only two restaurants, Dairy Joy and McDonald’s. I had a coffee frappe and some grilled cheese. MMMM. There was a guy there selling prints of diners all over New England. Though it was a little cheesy (like my sandwich), I bought a little Dairy Joy print, it will look super cute in my Kitchen.

Once home I readied for the wedding and my parents drove me into Boston to meet up with Kathryn. From the Taj hotel (the old Ritz) we took a shuttle with the other guests to The Country Club in Chestnut Hill. Her ceremony was in this little house beside a pond, down in the depths of the golf course. We learned later that the little house is where people hang out during the winter after ice skating on the pond. It was decorated beautifully with branches and flowers, and reminded us of a building at our summer camp, her intention I’m sure!

The ceremony was lovely. Callie was wearing her mother’s dress, which was very special, and the groomsmen wore khaki suits, classy and summery. The bridesmaid dresses were yellow chiffon and looked perfect and summery. After the ceremony we went to the reception at the country clubs main building.

She had kind of a yellow beehive theme going on and the cake was just the coolest.

Before dinner we had a cocktail hour outside, complete with oysters and all raw bar accouterments, some other appetizers, and plenty of drinks, including Seadog Maine Blueberry beer. The couple met a Bowdoin, so the ice sculpture of a Bowdoin polar bear (their mascot) was a nice touch. Her Dad did the best Dad toast every and Kathryn and I cried. I didn’t think I would, but it was very touching. Dads are the best.

Dinner was served in the Country Clubs dining room. They were very adventurous with the menu, there was a pea soup with a cumin flan for an appetizer and for the main course two different cuts of lamb, cooked perfectly and paired with asparagus, mushrooms and a Parmesan risotto cake. The lamb was perfectly cooked and melted in your mouth. I felt bad for uncultured pallets and this was definitely a gourmet meal.

After dinner they cut the cake and did some toasts. All very sweet. Dessert was cake of course, which was drizzled with honey and tasted amazing, and then a make your own sundae bar, however it was quite classy indeed.

Much dancing and drinking ensued and we bonded with the other guests and watched the newlyweds do a dance.

At the end of the night we took the requisite camp picture to send to our director, which she will then post in our little alumni book that comes out every year.

It was a beautiful and classy wedding and I think the bar is now set pretty high for me. I don’t have any others coming up, but when I do I sure hope they serve oysters!

 

Empa-not-a’s

Today I slept in to the wonderful hour of 9am in my little Wayland room where no busses are driving by and the shades keep it dark in the morning. Once awake I buzzed around, did a little work in the form of hiring us a summer intern (fingers crossed) and ate a yummy breakfast. Around 10:30 my Mom and I headed to the Natick Collection as we had some errands to run.

We played with purses at Neiman Marcus, but weren’t allowed to buy any, since Pia was now with us and we both tried on a bunch of dresses that were on sale, but again, we were good and didn’t buy any, then Burberry happened…

My Mom had a jacket on hold that she’d been wanting, and was way on sale. Thanks recession, I think that’s why all these designer duds have been on sale lately. The jacket, led to a tote bag, that led to earmuffs. Earmuffs in June you say? Welp they were also on sale, matched her scarf, and she’d wanted them. Might as well store them away for the Boston winter. We then stopped at Anthropologie where we ended up getting the same shirt. My Mom was the one who picked it out, she is so good at clothes these days!

After a light lunch at Sel de Terre we went home and I made my way right to the WSTC for some sun time. School had just gotten out for the day so it was hopping with all the Wayland children. I almost got hit by a tennis ball and a basketball a few times, but I didn’t care. I was at the pool instead of work, pretty much nothing was going to annoy me.

That evening I met Dana at her house in the South End. Her apartment was so cute, right on Clarendon St near Back Bay station. We made our way over to a Venezuelan restaurant called Orinoco and ordered a selection of things. Our favorite was an arepa with this amazing Venezuelan cheese, our second favorite was an empanada, but it wasn’t really an empanda that we were used to. Julia’s in Adams Morgan has them beat!

After dinner we went to the Beehive for a drink. It’s right on Tremont street and has a Jazz theme. I really liked the decor and liked my Hoegaarden beer even more!

I did have to drive home so I only stayed for a drink and then snuggled into bed. It was so great to see Dana, and have a day off in Wayland.

 

The Miracle

I decided against going to the early event and slept in until 7:20, wahooo. Work today was pretty busy and during lunch we had our public speaking group. I listened this time, no public speaking just yet. At 5pm I went and got a manicure/pedicure at the Asian nail place in the Watergate and then headed to the airport for my 8pm flight to Boston.

Everything went well with the flight and I was home by 10pm. The first thing I did was introduce my Mom to Pia, the little miracle in the form of a Botkier Stevie Satchel that was sent to us yesterday from Padre Pio at Bloomingdales (hence the feminized version of his name). I didn’t want to write about her yesterday because I wasn’t sure we were going to keep her. Basically she was on sale for so much that it would have been original sin (Padre Pio’s words not mine), to not buy her.

My Mom and I decided I should get her, and then if it really was true love we would split her 50/50 and draw up a joint custody agreement. As soon my Mom took Pia out of the dustbag she too knew it was the bag for us. Her leather is like buttah and her size is so perfect. We are keeping her and splitting her. My Mom gets her first, to take her to LA, and then she’s going to come live with me for a few months, and perhaps holidays and summer vacation.

 

Rockstars and Saints

Finally, some cooler weather. It was only 75 this morning when I was going to work. I made a stop at Dunkin Donuts for some HOT coffee rather than iced. MMM. I was pretty busy today and also managed to clean out my inbox, quite a feat.

While I was getting my daily Perez dose I noticed that Elton John and I have the same sunglasses, who looks cuter in them? And please don’t say Elton.

During the work day I also read about Padre Pio. He was an Italian Priest who was sainted in 2002. My religious Aunt sent my mom an email about how his body was exhumed, kinda weird (1 that he was exhumed, 2 that this was in an email). I don’t know anything about Saints so I looked for him on Wikipedia. I found out he was buried on my birthday, September 26th 1968 (a few years before I as born) and exhumed this year on March 3rd, my Mom’s birthday. Totally creepy. Padre Pio is so out to get us for not being religious…

Here is a cute shot of him (circa this year). He’s wearing a silicone mask, not his real face. Gross.

After work I went to Friendship Heights to pick up a Theory dress I’d bought WAY on sale at Saks. I purchased it Saturday with Elly, but couldn’t pick it up until today, as it was a pre-sale (translation for Marc: you can buy it for the sale price a few days before so that you actually get the item, but you can’t take it home until the day the sale starts). She looks sack-ey on the hanger, but you wear a belt and it’s supah professional. Can’t wait to wear her tomorrow.

I also popped into Bloomies, and Padre Pio was with me. He sent me a miracle, but that will be discussed in a later post. It needs it’s very own. Stay tuned.

Once home I packed for my 4 day jaunt to Boston and then combined exercise and dinner. I ran down to P Street to TangySweet for a medium original with granola, strawberries and blackberries, ate it for dinner. The place was hopping, they are going to do quite well this summer.

I watched the season finale of Top Chef even though I should have gone to bed early. I have an event in the AM and have to be there at 7:30, yuck.

 

Money Bag$

Moneybags over here just sold about $10,000 in advertising for June, pushing her just shy of her goal. Recession my behind.

Besides making some dollahs I went to lunch with Kate and a client to this Benihana style place in Tyson’s Corner. I had some beef and fried rice, yum, but god are those chefs annoying. No I don’t care if you can start a fire on the grill, and no I’m trying to sell advertising, not watch your skills with the tongs. Maybe if I was there for pleasure it would have been different.

It was super hot again today and as much as I wanted to go for a run outside, I settled for the treadmill. Blah. However, I did watch an episode of Jeopardy as I was running. I do love Alex. I had my leftover piccata for dinner and did some more GMAT critical reasoning questions. So far I keep getting 5 out of 8. I’ve got a lot more studying to do!

Before bed I finally watched the season finale of Desperate Housewives, yeah a little late. I liked it, nice and cliffhanging per usual, but at the end there was a “five years later” which was just kinda weird and not too exciting.