62. October 29th, 2010 Picture.

Saturday was the wedding of Ratty’s college friend Leann and her soon to be husband Bill.  It was taking place in Connecticut and we were packing up and heading to the Avon Old Farms Inn for the weekend.  We left right after work on Friday and made it to Connecticut in pretty good time, rolling in around 7:30pm.  We hit a little traffic getting out of the city, but once we got on the Mass Pike it was smooth sailing.

We got to the hotel and checked in, with about 2 seconds to freshen up before meeting some friends for dinner.  The room was SO nice, especially the canopy bed, which I obviously had to take a picture of.  Ratty then informed me that he spent a little extra to upgrade to a nicer room, totally worth it.  That bed was unbelievable, the pillows were potentially the best pillows ever, topped with mounds of cozy blankets, crisp linens and the thickest down comforter that bordered between heaven and hell.  Literally, you could go from peacefully content to sweating in 2 seconds flat.   At one point over the weekend, I was surrounded by so much fluffy goodness that I couldn’t tell if Ratty was in the bed until I reached out and slapped, what I thought, was a mountain of pillows.  It wasn’t, it was his head.  Whoopsie daisy.

20. Start My Decorating Folder.

This task is technically complete, it was one of the first tasks that I crossed off my list all the way back in May when I started this project [catch up here].  The whole purpose behind the decorating folder was to finally create a catch all for the ideas, projects and articles I come across in the many magazines I read.  I use to keep the entire magazine for one article, but that was pointless because then the magazine, and subsequently the one thing I wanted to keep, got buried under lots of other stuff, got misplaced, or got thrown out.  I'd been talking about a decorating folder forever, even bluffing to people that I already had one, hey at least I had the idea for one, right?  That must count for something.  I finally buckled down and created one, and have been adding to it ever since.

After my first post, I got some really great feedback from a fellow blogger Justagirl who suggested that I make little notes on Post It's to remind myself what I liked about the picture/article/project.  Even if the note was something simple like, 'love the pillow fabric' or 'great floor tiles', it would be extremely helpful when pulling out pages and pages of pictures someday in the future.  I thought this was a fantastic suggestion and went through my entire folder and made notes for everything.  She was right, even though I made the folder less than a year ago, there were a few things that confused me.  I sat there thinking 'Why did I rip this out?  What did I like about this idea?  And even a few 'I don't think I like anything in this picture.'  It was a great reason to go through all my finds again, and remind myself what I loved about them.  Thanks Justagirl for the great suggestion!

62. October 28th, 2010 Picture.

I finally got my name plate for my cube!  It took a couple of weeks, but my name is now proudly displayed at my work station.  No more awkward walk-bys, where people weren't sure if they knew me so they kind of walked towards me, paused and then kept going.  And yep, that is a picture of me and Abby as my desktop, isn't it cute?

PS: My cube is a little bit stark, I need to decorate it stat.  Maybe a nice plant and some pictures will make it a tad more warm.  I've seen a few cubes that are completely covered in things, books, pictures, knick knacks, figurines, and just plain ol' stuff.  I don't want to look like a hoarder, but a nice balance between hospital sterile and gently lived in would be perfect.

Number 57. Read 101 Books

I like to keep track of books I read through a website called Good Reads, where you can read reviews, hear about the newest releases and chat with authors (although I've never done that last one).  I list books to my account and categorize as 'to read', 'currently reading' and 'read', and can even document how far into each book I am on any given day.  For the girl who knows her local librarian by name, her name is Francis Frances so it's impossible NOT to know her, this website is a great find.  

Up until recently, I thought I could have only one bookshelf, Good Reads name for all the books I've listed.  Turns out, I can have many bookshelves and just created one for my 101 list!  I've added the books that I've read since I started my blog, and added the widget under my list of goals.  And by widget, I mean an icon that shows the covers of the books I've read, just scroll down and take a look.  If I'm going to read 101 books in the next 2 years, I need to get back to reading a lot more.  I used to be at the library once a week, checking out stacks of books at a time.  I can sit down and read an entire book in a night, but I've felt slightly overwhelmed lately.  I really want to catch up on my daily photos and I feel like any free moment I have, I should be writing, not reading.  That isn't going to benefit anyone because what good is a blog if I don't work on my goals?  I am going to consciously work on finding a balance where I can devote my free time to lots of different things, not just 'Ghost Whisperer' reruns and blogging.  I am going to kick my reading in high gear, although it is MUCH easier to read when laying on nice warm sand, sitting in the hot sun and listening to waves crashing.  But honestly what isn't better at the beach?  I can't really think of anything.  What was I talking about?  Oh right, reading.  I am going to read more.  Promise.

62. October 27th, 2010 Picture.

I am sure most of you remember me talking about my closet shelving falling down repeatedly this summer. I eventually got it back up, and put a tension rod under the bar to disperse some of the weight from all my clothes.  The tension rod is working wonders because it hasn't fallen down since!  I thought it was only a matter of time that it fell again, at one point the screws started pulling away from the wall, here is a shot of one that's completely separated from the plaster.  If I owned the house I would obviously figure out a way to fix it...or maybe I would just try not to think about it.  Kind of like what I'm doing right.  And kind of how I'm trying not to think about my doorknob.  I wouldn't be a very good landlord.

62. October 26th, 2010 Picture.

My friend Bianca sent me an email suggesting I check out 'Everyday Food' magazine as part of a  free promotion.  I quickly signed up and started getting them in the mail.  They are pretty great, and have kept the stacked in a safe place for the day when I have a much better cooking kitchen.  And more money so I can shop at Whole Foods.  Hey, a girl can dream.  I stopped getting the magazine a few months ago, because I didn't feel like extending through the trial membership, so it came as QUITE a surprise when I got this FREE cookbook in the mail!

I have to say, after looking through it, everything looks amazing.  There aren't any crazy recipes inside, I mean, it's titled 'Fresh Flavors Fast', but every one looks delicious.  I can't wait to test them out, the ones at the top of my list are: Peanut Crusted Chicken Breasts, Sweet Potato Pancakes and Barley Risotto.  I am sure that I will be blogging about those soon!


Dinner party, anyone?

62. October 25th, 2010 Picture.

This is my newest Yankee Candle, Farmers Market.  I don't usually love fruity or over the top food candles (I die, and not in a good way, when I smell anything vanilla, like Sugar Cookie or Vanilla Cupcake, yuck), so I was wary of Farmers Market, the picture on the front was covered in fruits.  I thought that it might be a little over powering to my senses - I like the fresh, clean, ocean type scents that just make a space smell like a sun splashed patio covered in hydrangeas.  I can get behind some food type candles, Sparkling Lemon and Juicy Grapefruit are both part of my collection, again with the clean, fresh theme.  I have to say that Farmers Market was a pleasant surprise.  It smells more like a nice, crisp fall day than a bunch of bananas, for which I am completely grateful.

62. October 24th, 2010 Picture.

Ratty got invited to a Boston Magazine 'Brunch Bites' event on Sunday morning at the now defunct restaurant Rocca, in the South End.  It just up and closed in December, which was a shock to everyone.  Tiffani from Top Chef Season 1 was the Executive Chef, and even she was surprised to hear it was closing – shame.

Since the event was called 'Brunch Bites' and not 'Expansive Brunch Buffet', Ratty and I made plans to try brunch at a new restaurant, someplace in the South End, after the event.  Not only is brunch my favor meal, but I also get 101 credit for trying new places, so it is a win no matter what way you look at it!   


The event was sponsored by Absolut, so while the food was minimal, the drinks were flowing.  Again, just how a good brunch should be.  The most fab drink of the day was a burnt orange madras that had touches of cinnamon.  It was so yummy that I asked the bartender for the recipe.  I only caught bits and pieces, since he was talking really fast, but I am sure that I'd be able to recreate it, or at least have a lot of fun trying!  

{The insane bar display. Don't worry - we didn't come close to finishing it.}

{Burnt Orange & Cinnamon Cranberry Madras.  Yumm!}

{Ratty was slightly unsure about the madras.  As hard as it is for me to admit, I believe that this was his first madras ever.  That is just shocking.  Thankfully it was the best one ever created, so he was easily swayed.  Either that or no other one will measure up.  It's a blessing and a curse, I guess.}

While Ratty and I were quite responsible during the party, having a few drinks but not going crazy, some other event guests were not so fortunate.  One girl next to us struck up a conversation with me regarding my scarf.  It's an infinity one from The Gap and she just wanted to know everything about it.  How I made it, what stitch it was, where I bought my yarn - um hi, I just swiped my credit card and poof!  It was mine.  No crafting here.  She insisted on taking a few photos of it so she would be able to go home and whip one up for herself.  I was all smiles because I love getting compliments and I loved that scarf, so I was relishing in the attention.  I can even feel Ratty rolling his eyes as he reads this.  The girl was a little tipsy and asked for a photo with me, which was definitely random and probably unnecessary, but I humored her and took potentially the worst photo of my life.  It's now in the hands of complete strangers.  Please, be kind.  Quick note: after brunch, Ratty and I walked past Rocca again on our way to SoWa Open Market, and the girl was laying on the sidewalk outside of the restaurant.  Her friends and the owner were standing around her, arguing about how to get her home.  She definitely enjoyed the Absolut a little more than everyone else.  How mortifying.


Brunch at Gaslight was so good and so affordable.  I had a goat cheese and herb omlette and it was only $7, which is down right cheap in Boston.  Ratty and I had some mimosas, great food and a latte to top it all off.  Review coming up to add to Number 24!

I’ve already described SoWa in such detail that I am sure you already have fabulous mental images floating around in your heads - no need to mess with perfection.  Ratty and I decided to walk through again, since we were right next door and since we love the South End so much.  There was no pumpkin this time, I can only love one pumpkin at a time, well two really.  Ratty is my lil pumpkin head - get it?  Because he is a red head?  Ha, I am so witty.  


We just walked around, while I stored ideas in my mind for things I wanted to make, buy, craft or cook, which is the best part about SoWa.  Even if you don't buy anything, you can't help but walk out with a creative energy pumping through you.  While I was envisioning my Nantucket beach cottage with vintage champagne flutes in my built-in beadboard hutch, Ratty played video games.  Okay not just any video games, old school Nintendo and NHL '95.  We were both in heaven.  Separate heavens.  I’ll leave you with  a few pictures of Ratty getting sucked back into middle school.

62. October 23rd, 2010 Picture.

I am not sure what bothers me more, the fact that something like ‘Do Not Put Child In Bag’ needs to be printed on a stroller, or the fact that it’s probably on the stroller because someone already tried it.

62. October 22nd, 2010 Picture.

My new job rocks, honestly.  Everyone I work with is super nice and pretty awesome.  I actually see and interact with people throughout my day and feel as though I am genuinely contributing to something important, as opposed to my last job where I am not sure anyone actually cared if I came to work or not.  No seriously, no one cared.  It’s really hard to feel productive when there is no incentive or accountability to do your job well, and it’s even more difficult to work hard when moral is low, or technically non-existent.   I think that once you’ve had a bad job, it is much easier for you to appreciate a good one.  The department where I work really values it’s employees, and wants to make sure that they are challenged and always growing, both personally and professionally.  Education is encouraged and finding your true ‘calling’ is a daily conversation topic.  I feel as though people are interested in me as a person, and want to help me become the best version of myself I can be.  This is pretty awesome, if you ask me.


On the Friday of my very first full week at work, we went off-site to the Institute of Healthcare Improvement to learn more about the organization, and play an interactive game they have called ‘Friday Night in the ER’.  Now, there is no way I can completely explain the game, it was so involved and when actually telling people about it, it took me a good half hour.  I will not bore you with that, but here is the website if you want to read more about it [http://www.fridaynightattheer.com/].  The game simulates 24 hours in a hospital, where 4 team members are each assigned a different area of the hospital.  I managed the Surgery department, while my teammates took care of the Emergency Room, Critical Care and Step Down.  Patients were represented by blue glass beads, the appropriate level of care was represented a white bead (each blue bead, or patient, needed 1 white bead with it at all times), and then on call staff were represented by a clear bead.  We had a timer to signify when each hour was up, and we had to manage how many patients were walking in to the ER, how many ambulances were arriving, transfers and various rules and regulations.  At the end of 24 hours, we calculated our data (how many people were waiting at the end of each hour, how many on-call staff members you had at the end of each hour, and how many ambulances to you turned away).  After tallying all our numbers, we could see how much money it cost us to turn people away, and how it is more expensive to re-route a paramedic to another hospital than to bring in an additional staff member.  It was really interesting to play, and it made you realize just how complicated running a hospital can be.  Each department seemed to run independently, without consideration or communication with other departments, and it was to show us that in order to fix problems or improve processes, each group/department/area really has to be open to commutation and working together to make the entire system more efficient.  It was really interesting and it was a great way to get to know some of my new co-workers. 

{Welcoming us to IHI.}

{Friday Night in the ER game board.  Intense, I know.}

{My tally sheet.}

{We got really into it.  Surprise surprise.}

After playing the game, we took a tour of IHI’s office and learned more about their mission and current projects.  Obviously, there is no way I can fully explain everything I learned on Friday, and I could not do it justice, so for more information, I will suggest checking out their website [ihi.org].  I learned an awful lot about the mission of the organization, and it was a really nice way for me to get to know the members of my department.

While at IHI, one of my co-workers invited me to a gala that night.  Blue Cross had purchased a table at the Multiservice Eating Disorders Association Annual Gala, so Ratty and I headed there after work for a free meal.  The event was interesting and it was nice to meet some fellow BCBS employees.  Ratty and I skirted out around 10:15 and made it back to the North End with enough time to grab a bottle of wine and relax on the couch.  I promptly fell asleep, it was a very busy day!

62. October 21st, 2010 Picture.

Thursday night I made it to my first power yoga class in what seems like forever.  I’ve really been slacking on working out ever since I cancelled my pilates membership, and I really need to make an effort to get back to the gym a few times a week.  I went to the 5:30 class, the one I could never make while at my last job because it didn’t typically get home until 6pm or after.  Just another awesome perk of the new job, I’m done at 4:30pm and it’s 15 minutes from my apartment.  WIN! 

I was really excited about the yoga class for 2 reasons.  I have the most tense back on the face of the planet, I can feel my muscles radiating pain throughout my back and arms, and it makes it almost unbearable to sit at a computer all day.  Massages help a lot, but I unfortunately can’t get one everyday, which is honestly how often I need them.  Pilates really helped, building strength while stretching it out, but ever since I cancelled my membership my back has gotten progressively worse.  I am noticing a trend here.  More negative things have been happening since I quit Pilates.  Hmm, maybe I should something about that.


I was hoping yoga would help alleviate some pain, and make me feel good.  It did both!  The second reason I was uber excited for the yoga class, was to use my brand new Lotus Pad yoga mat.  My cousin Katy (married to my cousin Phil) owns this small eco-friendly yoga mat business that is completely dedicated to offering chemical free products.  I guess most yoga mats are full things that aren’t good for you, like formaldehyde and other nasty stuff.  It makes them cheap to produce, but obviously not ideal for rolling around on.  It’s counter productive to do yoga, but use an unhealthy mat, so I purchased a brand new one at the beginning of October.  It’s a beautiful orange color on one side, while the other is a bright raspberry.  It is completely reversible, and is super thick and grippy, so I don’t hurt my wrists doing planks and my feet stay put doing downward facing dog.  I bought an adorable orange bubble/circle strap, so I can carry it easily, but don’t have to put it in a germy gym bag.  It’s a pretty awesome company, here’s her site.


Now that I'm being green, supporting a family business AND being oh so fashionable while doing it, I have no excuse to not work out now, do I? Damn.

62. October 20th, 2010 Picture.

Ratty had been in DC for a week to attend a work conference, so Thursday the 20th, the day after he got back, I planned to go to the North End and hang out.  And see what be bought me.  Yay presents!  I looped through the neighborhood, struggling to find a parking spot, but what else is new?  Unfortunately people park like idiots, taking up two spots with their one car, which makes my job that much more difficult, and annoying.  I passed this particular spot a few times, each time pulling up beside it and deciding it was just a touch too small to fit.  Finally, after the 3rd time passing it, I decided to at least try.  There was no one behind me, so I knew I wouldn’t feel the pressure of people waiting and watching me, because when that happens, it’s absolutely pointless to even try.  I backed in, with inches to spare in the front, and proceeded to go back and forth, back and forth, at least 8 times to finally fit in the spot.  People were walking by, each time staring at the car, shaking their heads in either amazement or doubt.  I started sweating, fogging up the windows in the process, getting nervous that I’d wedged myself in to a situation where my car wouldn’t fit, but also I wouldn’t be able to get out.  I finally got the entire car in the spot, with literally 1 inch in the front and back.  Here is some documentation to show just how good of a parallel parker I am.

62. October 19th, 2010 Picture.

Welp, it’s been over a month since I locked myself out of my bedroom which subsequently caused me to break my door down resulting in my door knob breaking into 50,894,543 pieces.  I have YET to go to Home Depot and get a new door knob, so every time I want to shut the door, I have to brace it with the following: A rock, pumpkin, bottle of wine, and 2 candles.  It’s kind of ridiculous.  I am pretty sure I need to make a quick trip to Home Depot and just buy a new door knob, but until then this make shift door stop will have to do.

62. October 18th, 2010 Picture.

Here's a pile of spray painted starfish that wass currently sitting on my book case.  They were the little favors at my cousin Kara’s wedding, with our name cards tied on in navy string.  They are SO cute and are honestly really heavy and durable.  I thought they were made out of rubber, but was told that they are just regular starfish that had been spray painted white, apparently making them indestructible.  I loved them SO much that I went around the tables at the end of the reception, scooping up all the extras.  I think I shoved 8 in my coat pocket, passed some to Ratty to carry for me, and put at least 3 in my clutch.  I amassed quite the collection and am now left with the task of figuring out exactly what to do with them.  Maybe some kind of craft project?  When I finally take up a craft, that is.

62. October 17th, 2010 Picture.

Sunday morning I went to church with my family a memorial mass for my Uncle Frank.  He passed away when I was in high school, but my Aunt Nancy has a mass for him every year.  This obviously isn't a picture of us at church, it is a picture of some horsey rides taking place after.  

We all went to my cousin Carolyn's house after church for a nice brunch, which turned into an all day affair.  We hung around and watched the Patriots game, while eating LOTS of food.  The children were not as enthralled in the game as the adults, so during half time horsey rides took place to keep them entertained.  It was absolutely hilarious, as you can tell.