Semi Obsessed...

I've come to the conclusion that I might be one of the world's most impatient people.  I would say impulsive too but that seems to involve more follow through that I don't have...Anyway, so I come to this conclusion for the following reasons:
1) I cannot STAND waiting to talk to someone when I have something to say.  If you don't answer your phone immediately, I will call you nonstop until you do.
2) Ever since I was a kid, once a trip is actually approaching, I will start to pack.  Not clothes, mind you.  Books.  I started my book/magazine packing on Monday for the trip we are taking Saturday.  I have been debating my list of books/magazines to pack for at least 2 weeks.  I'm still not sure I have the clothes thing figured out.
3) I occasionally make lists of conversation topics if I expect to be spending time with someone for a prolonged period of time.  This is to make sure we don't run out of things to talk about.  Problem is, I am physically incapable of holding onto these topics for more than 5 minutes into a conversation. 

Anyway, I bring this up because I came across a DIY home improvement blog today that I'm a little bit jealous of...

http://www.younghouselove.com/

This couple does AWESOME things with thrift store finds!  I'm now officially obsessed with going to find my own little treasures, painting them, and turning my apartment into the trendiest, most well decorated hole in the wall EVER! This will also be especially helpful considering I'm broke as a joke...

Maybe Andy will let me stop at antique stores on our leisurely trip to Steamboat this weekend....maybe if I promise to spray paint him a pony....

In the meantime, I'm going to pore over Young House Love's blog...and try to contain my jealousy...

Friday Funny

Just a Typical Thursday Night..

  









I literally CANNOT wait until tomorrow!!!!!!!!

Now This is How You Raise Money!

Charlottesville, Virginia has decided to raise money to fund the first public library in Winneba, Ghana.  Their mayor has started a blog about community events/goings on and includes a list of the fundraising events.  These event include:

Monday, February 21: Corner Bar Crawl

$5 bracelets, available for sale at Three (1517 University Ave.) from 5:00pm onward on the night of the Crawl, make you eligible for the following specials:

Backyard: $2 rails, $3 pints
Littlejohn's: free 24-ounce soda with $5 purchase
Boylan Heights & Mellow Mushroom: $2 drafts, $5 double rails
Three: $2 rails, $2 Bud Lights
Virginian: $2 rails
Biltmore: TBD
Trinity: $8 pitchers of Bud Light/$10 imports; $4 Soco Lime shots
Monday, February 28: Orzo Benefit Dinner

$30 pre-set menu, $6 glasses of wine; 50% of proceeds, and $1 for each drink, benefit the Winneba Public Library Project
Reservations are limited; call 434-975-6796 (be sure to say "Cville-Winneba Group")
Thursday, March 3: Siips Celebrity Bartender Night

Siips Wine & Champagne Bar -- 5:30-7:30pm Happy Hour


and.... **THE MAIN EVENT**
Saturday, March 12: "Wine for Winneba" at the Main Street Arena

$50 tickets -- food, wine & beer, live music
Catered by Harvest Moon
100% of proceeds benefit Winneba Public Library ProjectI gotta tell ya, I'm pretty impressed!  I mean, that's the sort of place I'd like to work! I wish my library would use a bar crawl to raise money! I could get all kinds of people involved in that!  Right on Charlottesville!

Source: http://cvilledave.blogspot.com/?expref=next-blog

Achatz rhymes with Rackets...

Grant Achatz

Who knew?  My interest in the culinary world began with a VERY random subscription to Food and Wine magazine and the start of a dinner club.  I found myself trying out random new restaurants and flipping through F&W realizing that I might actually be able to make some of their recipes.  F&W is the one magazine subscription that I cannot do without.  I have piles upon piles of old copies that I can't bear to get rid of because there are incredible recipes and wine lists in their pages. 

Food and Wine magazine is where I first read about Grant Achatz the genius behind Chicago's Alinea restaurant.  Achatz is one of the most well known and respected chefs in the world but is also known for having developed stage 4 tongue cancer a couple years ago.  His story of continuing his work and recovering is absolutely astonishing. 

His next restaurant venture slated to be opened in March is Next.  Achatz plans on completely revamping the menu every 3 months to focus on a specific place in the world during a specific place.  For example, the first menu may be based on Paris 1912.  There will be no reservations, instead tickets will be sold to the prix fix meal.  I've already signed up to be notified when tickets become available.  I know food isn't that exciting for most people, but there is nothing I'd rather do on a nice evening than enjoy an incredible meal with interesting company.

You MUST check these out!

Next

Huffington Post article on Grant Achatz's Next and Aviary

NY Times article "The Perfect Menu. Now Change It"

I'm Not a Fan of Mint But....

This is a tad ridiculous..



Then again, I may need it after I'm done eating this...



Lord help me if I follow this up with some chocolate covered potato chips...

Cee Lo Green vs. Elton John

I think this was a general "Fuck You" to the mainstream media for nominating a song he can't actually sing on tv...How better to do that? Let's go totally PG with Jim Henson Muppets and channel old school Elton John...

Right on Cee Lo...

Sometimes I wish...

That I could spend any Saturday I wanted with these peeps...

Cupids Dash

So I managed to get suckered into running a 4 mile race on Sunday morning (thanks Andrew)...It's the inagural Cupids Dash and I'm pretty sure it's actually going to be pretty awesome...They encourage costumes, have candy pit stops, and a Lovers Lane picture stop so you can take a pic with your running partner love (which I was supposed to have..but due to someone I know being a bum, I will be taking the picture by myself..).  My mother has made me a cute red tutu and dammit, I'm gonna have a good time!

I've learned that I could focus on the fact that it's probably going to be cold, I'm running alone, and I haven't run more than 2.5 miles in months....OR I could focus on the fact that I'll be really proud of myself when I'm done, I can start my day with some great tunes, candy is a good distraction, and if I run the whole 4 miles I'm probably going to treat myself to a nice mani/pedi..and maybe a bloody mary...I'm also focusing on the words of my trusty personal trainer/man-guru, Steve Jones, "You don't have to run fast, you just have to run"

This one's for you, Steven Jones!


p.s. Dear Steve, I miss your silly self. Let's get a drink soon. Love, Madeline p.s. I heard the Buccs might actually learn how to play football next year...cross your fingers  ;)

The Blaisanator

"Eating should be somewhat dangerous sometimes" --Richard Blais

Richard Blais might be one of my favorite celebrity chefs.  He also may be singlehandly responsible for my interest in adventurous eating...He's most well known for his focus on molecular gastronomy.



Which then brings me to the best meal I've probably ever had....Moto
I will fully admit that this is a ridiculously expensive experience.  But it will be the most memorable meal you've ever had.  I had a course based on a burning cigar that not only looked like a burning cigar, was served in an ashtray, and managed to conjure up the idea of a smokey cigar in an absolutely delicious way..Plus, how can you not like a couple of chefs that team up with TED?

Hump Day Happiness

Way Too Complicated

But incredibly cute!  I don't know who this woman is but she has 1) some serious time on her hands and 2) way more patience than I could ever imagine. 


I am baker

Seriously, you should go check out her Valentine's Day stuff...it's ridiculous..

Random Thoughts

1) I had a dream last night that Brett Favre and I were secretly dating.
2) During said dream, I had to go back to high school and needed a ride from Brett's house in the burbs to my school in the city..My lovely friend Courtney was there but she had to drive to her mom's house to help her mom learn to spell (fyi, her mom was a HORRIBLE speller..it was quite a shame).  Courtney agreed to take me with to her mom's house and then let me take the car from there.  It took me 3 hours to get to school, I was super late, and my band teacher was PISSED.  Oh, and Brett was no help at all.  Thanks a lot Brett.
3) Pharon just told me a story about a snake getting tangled up in a friends window air conditioner.  I almost threw up.
4) FYI- if snakes ever appear in my house, I will be moving.  No questions asked.  No "oh Madeline, I'll get rid of it and it will never come back". Nope. Moving. Done.
5) If they show up in a toilet we're in real trouble.  Cause scars like that don't go away.

OMG

Willow Smith is Pretty Catchy...

Seriously, I can't believe I find this funny, but I do...This parrot has better moves than most people I know

Now I Just Need a Bar to Hang This In...

http://www.etsy.com/listing/66276096/hops-barley-and-beer-beautifully

Life is a Journey...

I Wish...

I went to see The Roommate last night.  It stars Minka Kelly and Leighton Meister as college roommates.  Minka is gorgeous and Leighton goes crazy.  Totally entertaining brainless junk.  I'd watch it again.  I don't know what that says about me...Anyway, the problem I have now is that I desperately want to look like Minka Kelly.  I have brown hair, she has brown hair.  Her brown hair is luxurious, mine is not.  I have brown eyes, she has brown eyes.  Her brown eyes are deep dark pools of prettiness, mine are just brown because they didn't realize green or blue are better colors.  She is little and sweet looking.  I am ginormous and "unique" looking (in an "Uma Thurman way" I was once told).  Minka wears cute hats and scarves that look cool and trendy.  I wear hats and scarves to a) stay warm or b) hide the fact that I haven't showered.

That being said, I'm considering massive amounts of plastic surgery in order to look like this:




Let's remember, currently I look something like this:


hmmmmm...damn you Minka Kelly....

Just a Puppy and Her Dreidel

We moved to the North Shore and Midge decided to convert...

Jackpot!

I had a good workout this morning and decided to reward myself by scoping out Marshall's down the street.  I went in with the hopes of finding some cute, cheap shoes...Instead, I hit a pretty decent designer jackpot! (I mean, jackpot might be a little bit of a stretch but it's pretty rockin regardless)


Got this Cynthia Rowley dress in black for $20!  I with you could see the back..it's got a racer back with a gold zipper going from the waist up! So cute!  I'm picturing cute summer outings already...


Also got a pair of $95 Cole Haan aviators for $20!

Seriously, if I could have added a sweet pair of shoes to this mix, I would have had the best bargain shopping trip ever...

A girl can dream...

Kirrrrrrrrrrrrrbbbbbbbbyyyy Puuuuucccckkkkeeettttt

Maybe the coolest shirt ever....

Maybe the coolest line of shirts ever...I heart Nike
http://store.nike.com/us/en_us/?l=shop%2Csearch&searchList=cooperstown&x=0&y=0#l=shop,search,c-1+100701/ipp-48/pn-1/sl-cooperstown

Grown Men and Snow Part 2

Grown Men and Snow

Happy Ears

I've known Peter since pre-school...In fact, our parents were great friends, our brothers are best friends, and most of my childhood memories include him.  This being said, I'm pretty sure that makes me totally biased...HOWEVER, trust me when I say, he makes some of the best mixcasts you'll ever find..



http://perterjames.com/

Just remember when you're rockin out--I told you so.

http://cooktobang.com/

Seriously, this might be the best cooking blog you've never heard of.  It's not only incredibly sassy and innappropriate, it's also got GREAT recipes!  Plus, he includes step by step pictures for preparation. 

And can you really go wrong with a recipe called "O-Faced Oatmeal"???  I think not.

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