Trying Not To Do Work

I should be finishing my 3 - 5 page final for one of my classes, but I'm finding everything else in the world 10 times more interesting than doing what I need to be doing. I've been catching up on all my Hollywood gossip, like are Tom Brady and Gisele Bundchen really engaged? I don't know, but now I really need to know. Well, not really, but it's a hell of a lot more interesting than school work. Even looking up songs I don't know the title to on Itunes is a billions time more fun than homework. I'm even willing to sit through the Cowboys-Eagles game to avoid it, and I'm not a Dallas fan. Not even close, but I will admit to partially watching on account of Tony Romo, hee. But I should get back to my very, very sad little paper that I'm sure will suck lolipops.

I've Done It Again . . .

Yeah, I know. I'm an extreme slacker. It's been over two months since I've written. I've been bad, I know. But I have a few excuses. Well, I like to call them excuses.

Excuse 1: Work. The job I hate and wish I could quit is pretty much sucking the life out of me. It's also taken up most of my time. I need to win the lotto. And very soon I might add. Anything to get away from this thing I call a job.

Excuse 2: House. Sad, but true, I'm still unpacking. If it wasn't for reason #1, I'd have more time to get my house and life more organized.

Excuse 3: B. My bright, sunny and bubbly 6-year-old takes up even more time. Between homework, tap dance and cooking, she's my biggest job.

Excuse 4: Sleep. Unfortunately, I actually need this to survive. I mostly wish I didn't need it. Then I could get a whole lot more done in my life.

And excuse 5: Those darn Volkswagen commercials are addicting!

In Mourning . . .

a little. Today was the first New England Patriots game of the season (well, it was everybody's first game sans the Giants and Redskins). And anyone who knows me well, knows I'm a Pats fan (though most of my heart does belong to the Bears, my home team) and an even bigger Tom Brady fan. Girl with a big crush here. Sadly, Tommy Boy didn't even make it through the first quarter. :( Very sad now. He limped off the field with no help, so he might be okay. I hope it's nothing serious. The Patriots need him. And I like watching him play. He's got a cute butt. ;) But I do hope everything's all right. Here's hoping there won't be a surgical outcome to this.

*Sigh* This is my most favorite picture of him in the world. Gisele's one lucky chickadee.

I guess the upside is football isn't going anywhere anytime soon. That's a weekly beer guarantee, right? It just won't be the same though. And, I forgot to mention, I won Fantasy Football this week and I got the highest score. Yay, FFL!!!

Official Slacker

Yes, I admit it. I am officially a slacker. I haven't written in my blog in forever, and I haven't finished the chapter in my book. But I do have a valid excuse. As you all know, I just moved back to the states. Well, I finally moved into my house and I've been busy unpacking, and lets just say the unpacking is slow going.

This is my sad little dining room as of last week. It looks a little sad, doesn't it?

I'm a little ashamed of the state my room was in last week. But it is looking better. That's all that really matters, right? That's what I keep telling myself.

I was also a bridesmaid in one of my best friend's wedding up in Chicago this past weekend. My feet still hurt, but all in all, it was a pretty good day. I had fun. So did my break dancing six-year-old. Yes, break dancing, along with the "snake". In a dress. In the middle of the dance floor.

Speaking of six-year-olds, I also have to prepare for the start of the school year. Yeah. Did I ever mention how much I love back to school shopping? Yup, it's loads of fun. It's my favorite time of year.

Also, up until yesterday, I've been pretty much Internet-less. So no online surfing for me. Which is good, because there's no way to get distracted from unpacking when there are no distractions. But I still have TV and cable. Did I mention I love cable? I've been finding all these shows I've missed out on because I've been overseas. And I also have DVR. OMG. I LOVE DVR!! Now I don't ever have to miss my favorite shows when I'm at work. Besides Ghost Hunters, I found another new show. It's called "Ace of Cakes". It's a reality show about a bakery, Charm City Cakes, and the daily grind of what I really want to be doing with my life. Anyone who knows me well, knows I love baking. I just never get to spend the time I want on it. Well, I probably could, but then I'd never sleep, and I already have issues with sleeping, and I'd rather not add to that and become an insomniac.

Yeah, I want to open my own bakery.

Time is not on my side

Well, I've definitely been slacking. I wanted to finish 1,000 words by the end of the week (my deadline was yesterday), but between starting the new job, paperwork for the new condo, and taking a short (but much needed) weekend trip to Chicago for the Taste, I quickly ran out of time. So my goal for this Sunday is to have between 1500 and 2000 words. We'll see how that works, won't we?

But I did have fun this weekend. I haven't been home for the 4th of July in years, so I got to see the fireworks on the Lake and it was pretty awesome to hang out with my best friend and eat a lot of food. That's what the Taste of Chicago is, a crowded, wonderful resturant, with crazy, drunk people stumbling around, trying not to spill their beer. It's funny, the last time I went to the Taste was I was underage. Now I get to wear this really cool bracelet to let the beer stands know I'm allowed to drink. How times have changed. Yummy, yummy chocolate covered strawberries. Not yummy, nummy. 10 times better than yummy.

I'm taking another road trip back there this weekend, though. My other best friend (I have 5 total, by the way) is getting married next month and I'm one of the bridesmaids. Her bridal shower's on Sunday, so I'm thinking I shouldn't miss it. Which reminds me, I need to buy her a shower gift. It's a good thing I have a new day planner, or I might be very lost right now.

Malina's Story

Cable TV Is Addictive

I've been living in Europe the last four years, Italy, to be exact; and there aren't a huge amount of American cable shows outside of MTV, so I've been a little behind on the times. Between running around, house hunting and trying to get settled in the new job, I haven't exactly had a whole lot of down time. But I've been able to catch of few shows here and there, and one caught my eye and I'm completely addicted to it now: Ghost Hunters. I absolutely love this show. I love ghost stories and things supernatural, and I've been to a lot of the big places they've visited, so it's creepy and cool at the same time. I also think its partly because I think Tango's hot. I think he's very hot. I can honestly say this show distracts me from other things I should be doing. Like balancing my checkbook and reading over paperwork. I guess I'll have a few early mornings to catch up. *sigh*

Nigella Lawson is a food goddess

Seriously. What more can I say about this woman? I have all of her cookbooks and just staring at the pictures of these great recipes makes my mouth water. And yes, some of the recipes are really fattening, but who cares? If you can't enjoy food, what's the point of having it around? Besides, I'd rather have a little more meat on my bones and love food, than be anorexic and fear the sight of anything that tastes oh, so good. But hey, that's just me. Right now I'm making something from her cookbook, "Nigella Bites", Linguine with garlic oil and pancetta (which, by the way, is the best form of bacon ever made, possibly because I've spent the last 4 years in Italy). It takes all of 20 minutes to make and it's almost as yummy as homemade Carbonara. It's pasta heaven on a fork. My 5-year-old loves it, and she's one of the pickiest pasta eaters I know. Her pasta requests only come in the form of "macaroni" and "spaghetti with no meat". Oh, here's the book the recipe's in:


You should go out and buy it. Did I mention there's this delicious Chocolate Fudge Cake recipe?

3 Weeks and Counting

Have you ever wondered what it's like to move your whole entire life (house included) in just 3 weeks? I did, until it happened to me. I have 3 weeks to get everything ready to go, along with finishing up two classes towards my degree. I never fully realize how much I truly hate moving until I have to do it again. And honestly, I don't remember the last move being nearly this difficult. How can it be harder to move out of a place rather than in? I'm just looking forward to getting to Ohio and moving into the new place.