Friday, September 24, 2010

A night at SNOB

On Tuesday night the hubs and I had a night on the town.

After a little sightseeing,


We went to our favorite restaurant for dinner: Slightly North of Broad, aka SNOB.



My parents had given us a gift certificate, and as money was not an option, we ate like kings.

Hubs appetizer: Smoked Salmon


My appetizer (so incredibly yummy!)  Bruschetta


Hubs entree: tuna steak with fried wontons, kimchi, cucumbers, and an arugula salad.


My entree: pan seared keegan farm chicken with cheese grits, asparagus, and arugula salad.
Again, tasted incredible!

And we even had some money leftover to do a little shopping next door, at Charleston Cooks!


I don't know if you can see the pineapple bowl in the center of the picture, I bought one of those and a nice cast iron grill pan.


Thanks, padres, for a nice night on the town!

If anyone visits Charleston, I totally two thumbs up recommend SNOB!



Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Top Chef Just Desserts


Today during lunch I watched Top Chef, Just Desserts, for the third time, and afterwards found myself ravenous for chocolate, for the third time.  If I want to lose weight, I definitely have to stop watching this show.  And I want to lose weight.  But I love the show.  What's a girl to do!

Watch while treadmilling?  Seriously, I have to just look at food to gain weight, so watching an episode of this show, I put on 5 pounds an hour.  Ridiculous.

This first episode,the quickfire challenge was to create a signature dessert.  Then, a little twist, halfway through they had to turn it into a cupcake!  A cupcake!  How fun! I just want to be a judge and sample everything.  Although me booty probably wouldn't like that.

Then the remainder of the episode was dedicated to chocolate.  The guest judge?  Mr. Chocolate! 



Jacques Torres ~ Check out his website and prepare to drool.  Curious enough, he sells among other chocolate covered delectables, cheerios, grahams, and cornflakes.  Chocolate covered cornflakes.  Mr. Chocolate, I never!  (But I'd love to try.)

Then there's this series Tom Colicchio, Johnny Iuzzini.  What's up with this picture huh Johnny?

I don't even know what to say about it.  The photog is saying, Yeah!  You are sexy!  Act sexy!
Click click click.
MMmkay.

I'll watch it tonight.  But if I have another sweet attack I'm going to have to stop.



Sunday, September 19, 2010

GTKY is dead

I came online this morning looking forward to today's getting to know you questions, and then I realized it was 9am and there were no questions yet!  I've been off the computer for a week and I didn't know as of last week it would no longer be.  Thanks Keely for a great run, it was fun while it lasted and I met some great new people!  I don't blame her, I'm sure it would have gotten old, not to mention difficult, coming up with new and interesting questions every week.  It's a task I'm not willing to take on myself, but since I was looking forward to it so, I googled some getting to know you questions so here I go riding solo.  If you care to join in please feel free to copy and paste!  Here are the hard hitting questions:

What are your favorite smells?
Depending on the season, during fall/winter I love apple and pumpkin smells.  Or fresh baked cookies or banana bread.  I also have a scented room spray from Pier 1, Ginger Peach, and I loooooove it!


THEN there's the smell of a movie theater when you walk in, mmmm popcorn, and fresh cut grass, and this'll probably sound weird but being a former swimmer, I still love to smell chlorine.  Strange but true.

Mountain hideaway or beach house?
I have a natural tendancy towards the beach house but really, both sound quite fabulous.


What countries have you visited?
Not nearly enough.  I want so badly to go to Europe.  So so badly.  I would love to have an Eat Pray Love experience and be able to stay months in a few countries, then write a book about it.  And then a movie.  But as it is, when I was a flight attendant it was domestic, so I've been to Canada, technically I guess Mexico but only the airport. 

What are your favorite sports to watch? 
I enjoy a football game, NFL not college, but I'm not a die hard fan.  Put me in front of a game and I'll enjoy it but I don't go out looking to watch a game.



Scary movies or happy endings?
I will not watch a scary movie.  Suspenseful is ok, but no way on the scary.  I prefer happy endings. 

What is the last movie you watched?
The last movie I saw at the theater was The Switch a couple weeks ago.  That's the one with Jennifer Aniston and Jason Bateman.  It looked to be a light hearted cute movie on the preview but to be quite honest I was bored.



Snog chew...(that's me snoring)

Last book you read?
Right now I'm reading J.D. Robb Fantasy in Death.  I've heard many a great things about J.D. Robb aka Nora Roberts, but ehhhh I hate to say it, this book isn't doing much for me.  I am also reading Building Websites for Dummies because I have a website idea that's going to be FAB-U-LOOOOUS but I haven't the slightest how to create it yet.


Now is the time I like to publish post and go see everyone else's answers, so if you do happen to copy and paste let me know! 

Have a great Sunday and week ahead!








Saturday, September 18, 2010

Peanut Butter, No Jam!!

It's been ages since I've seen the Kings of Comedy, but for some reason yesterday this song popped in my  head.  I wish I could sing!  Because I would love to walk around singing this..




Help me now!  Peanut butter, no jam....no jam...no jam...



Friday, September 17, 2010

Took a little bloggity break

Situation normal: All fouled up..(edited for tv)

I've come to realize I do not have a healthy way of dealing with stress.  All the "healthy" things recommended to do..exercise, go for a walk, etc..they don't really work for me.  I eat.  I am a completely emotional eater, which sucks.  Why does a piece of chocolate feel good when I'm stressed?  sigh...  Perhaps needless to say I've been going through a hugely stressful time, and I completely realize everyone goes through stress in life so I'm not blog boo-hooing.  Instead, I opt to make a list of things that make me happy.  I'll try to keep food out of it.

There is a bevy of people that make me happy ~ my family, friends...old and new, personal and blogger.  There's nothing like spending time together and laughing till you cry, an email telling me to snap out of it, and for facebook/twitter/blogger friends, just reading status updates/tweets/blogs can make me happy.  I am grateful for all the happy people in my life.  I find you uplifting and thank you for picking me up during times like these.

Water..water makes me extremely happy, whether it be looking at the ocean, watching a fountain, taking a shower, swimming.  I am a water gal!


Barnes and Noble...how I love thee.  I have a mini version of the Barnes at home, but it's not the same.  Yeah, I have heaps of books still to read at home, but at Barnes, I can grab a huge stack of books, all the latest magazines, get a cup of java and chill.  I can get lost for hours in a Barnes, leave and feel invigorated.


The same goes for a movie theater.  I do my greatest thinking in movie theaters, maybe because you are in a dark room, no phone, no talking, just sit there with a clear mind to watch a movie, and then sitting there with a clear mind, I have inspired ideas.  Maybe it's my form of meditation.  One of my future homes has a home theater in it.


Grande Nonfat Pumpkin Spice Latte - sometimes it's the little things.











Heck I mean, all things pumpkin make me happy! Ok, I have to add a little food.


And finally, being in shape makes me happy, and then having an ass kicking workout..that is the best.  Knowing you just pushed your body past it's limit, instead of killing you it inspired you, feeling great and pushing harder..  I must get there again.




Sorry for the bloggity break, I will try to get my bloggity butt back in bloggity gear to write on this bloggity blog.

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Memoirs of a Flight Attendant Part I

The 2 weeks in between getting hired and starting training went by real fast.  Since I knew I was going to be employed I decided to live it up.  I was so excited with my new career choice and delighted in anyone asking me what I do..I'm going to be a flight attendant!  It sounded so glamorous.  The morning came when I had to leave for training, and my dad drove me 4 hours from Chicago to Detroit.  There were others on the plane who were also going to training but none of us knew who the others were, so we didn't meet up until we landed in Florida.

We got to the hotel that was to be our home for the next month.  My roommate was going to be Diane, who had already retired from her previous postion and was embarking on a new adventure.  And her name isn't really Diane, but I didn't ask her if I could write about her so I just changed her name, see?  She was in her 40s, skinny, beautiful, perfectly groomed, everything a flight attendant should be.  Me?  I had extra pounds to shed, never wore makeup in my life.  As we walked into the room, to my horror, there was only 1 bed and a pull out couch.  She offered we take turns with the bed, but I kind of like to settle into one domain and get cozy, plus I just wouldn't feel right about taking the bed.  Here I was a young fledgeling of 23 and she was in her 40's.. I just couldn't ya know?

Turns out Diane, who's name's not really Diane, was just as afraid of flying as me.  But was that going to stop us from living the dream?  Heeeeck no.  During training, 4 weeks of studying and tests and what not, we didn't get paid.  Since Diane was retired, she had income and she lived it up, going out nearly every night. Me?  I stayed in, hanging out by the pool, eating pbj, and sleeping.   It seemed as though each week another plane crash would make the news.  The most publicized was when Aaliyah's plane crashed and all aboard died.  Let me tell you, that did nothing for our fear as you might imagine.

There was a class that started one week ahead of us.  When we were on our third week, and they were getting ready to graduate, we were silently taking a test when we heard a giant ruckus next door.   I mean, screaming, banging, urgency.  Later came to find out, we were going to have to stage an evacuation.  I mean, verbatim, get one word wrong and fail.  Fail 3 times and you are not a flight attendant.  And those 3 times were over the course of the 4 weeks, not just the verbatim evacuation.  This made my palms sweaty, my knees weak, and my heart pound.  I am not a screamer, never have been since cheering at a swim meet and someone told me my scream (cheer) sounded like a dying cow.  No joke.  I heard it myself.

There was an instructor for another class, she would always come and visit our class, and it seemed like she picked me out amongst everyone else. 

You!  You need lipstick!  Come to class next week wearing makeup! 

We were not making any money yet, and I had never wore makeup before, but I went out to the mall, consulted with a makeup saleswoman, and bought some "barely there" makeup, anything more and I felt like a clown.  Next week I came to class wearing my new makeup and in walks the same instructor. 

You!  Your lipstick is not bright enough!  It needs to be RED!  Studies have shown people listen to flight attendants more when they wear RED lipstick!  This was when the lipstick that lasts 8 hours first came out, and she would come into our classroom just to pucker her lips at us and brag about her lipstick. 

Then came the day I had to be the flight attendant to lead the evacuation in a "water landing."  They threw us into a pool and everything.  That was actually fun, but those life vests are cumbersome.

Too heavy, too light, too black or too white
Too wrong or too right, today or tonight
Cumbersome

Seven Mary Three anyone?

(I am highly distractible.)




Then the day came to evacuate on land.  We had to do several evacuations, one from each door on each plane.  Good ol' Diane was the only person in the class to pass at the first try.  Oh my gosh the adrenaline!  It's not good enough to say - Heads down, stay down, heads down, stay down..Come this way, leave everything.  You have to SCREAM it.  AND THAT'S A LOT OF WORDS FOR ONE WHO DOESN'T SCREAM IN THE FIRST PLACE!


(I didn't work for JetBlue btw!)  (Nor Delta)  Anyway, training was a hugely stressful 4 weeks.  Some didn't make it, many did, and finally it was graduation day, and we got our wings...September 7, 2001.

Sunday, September 5, 2010

GTKY Sunday - Under the Sea!

Happy Sunday all!  I am extremely happy to report that today I am blogging from home!  Yesterday was the big 32nd birthday and my dear hubs spoiled me with a fabulous trip to the mall.  Today promises to be just as fun..I love Sundays at home!  Know what else I love?  WATER..it is so relaxing and I crave it.  Today's Getting to Know you questions from MannLand5 are all about under the sea!


1. Do you like seafood?

I am a seafood light type a gal..I can do sushi but mostly california rolls, I love a crabcake, shrimp, perhaps some lobster or tilapia.  Other than that, I try try try to like other seafood, like salmon, but it's just to fishy tasting to me.


2. Are mermaids hot?
I suppose so..never really gave it much thought and being that mermaids are female...alrighty then.  Sure.



3. Have you swam in the ocean?
Why yes I have!  I tend to stay out because I don't know what sorta sea creatures are dwelling, so I will go to the beach but swim in pools.



4. If you got stung by a jellyfish, would you let a stranger pee on you?
I can't really answer this.  I like to say no, but I don't know what the sting feels like.  If it is excruciating I'm sure I'd do whatever it takes to feel better.


5. Have you ever pee'd in the ocean?
No, can't do it.  Maybe when I was a kid I did, although that one didn't stick in the memory banks.



6. Can you make a cute fish face? (Show a pic..if you want)
Ummmmm...I can make a fish face but is it cute?  Yeeeeaah prolly not.



7. When you see the lobster tank at the grocery store do you just have this overwhelming urge to set them free or cook them up?
I don't really think about it.  I do feel bad for the buggers, getting thrown alive into a pot of boiling water.  Oh so sad.  I will eat them, but I don't think I could cook one.



8. Are you afraid of sharks?
Immensely.
 
 


I hope everyone has a great Sunday and Happy Labor Day!
All photos from here.

Friday, September 3, 2010

Memoirs of a flight attendant, the Prelude

This month I decided to write down a few of my memories of being a flight attendant. 

How much do I tell?  Is the question I ponder..some things I'm not allowed to tell, other things, I'm not sure I want to tell!  We'll see how it goes.. I know those are the things that people want to hear about most!

Cue Julie Andrews:
Lets start at the very beginning.  A very good place to start! 

Cue Wayne and Garth:
Diddly doot diddly doot


It all started at the Superbowl in Tampa, FL 2001.  I met some people from Detroit who had come to party, they didn't have tickets for the game but just wanted to be in the atmosphere.  I exchanged numbers with one of the guys, and we started keeping in touch.  Several months later, I decided my best move at the time was to leave Tampa and move back home to Chicago.

After living in Chicago for 2 months, I still could not find a job.  These days, that pretty much has become common, but back then, I was getting anxious.  For kicks, I decided to see if the airlines were hiring.  There was a job posting for flight attendants, and a meeting scheduled for the very next day in Detroit.  I had never been to Detroit before, but mapquest told me it was a 4 hour drive.  Since I kinda sorta knew someone there, on a whim I thought what the heck, I'll drive over and see what happens.  Wearing a business suit the whole way, and armed with a resume and some gumption, I set off.

This meeting, there was a huge room full of people, over 100, and we listened to a few current flight attendants tell us about the job.  Then we had to get up, one by one, and tell the room full o people about ourselves and then read a line of flight attendant script.  At this point I'm starting to look for the door, my palms sweating, my heart pounding just a little faster.  I was not a public speaker and this huge room of people, I had to come up with something spur of the moment to say?  Ummmmm.  Oh no.  I started thinking this is silly, I came on a whim, I'm not getting hired, whatever, ok I'll just go up and get this over with.

"Hi, I'm Karina.  I just moved from Tampa to Chicago and now I'm here in Detroit..you could say I'm homeless at the moment and how can you get more flexible than that?" 

The room chuckled and it made me relax ever so slightly, and turn a little red too;  I didn't mean for it to be funny. I don't know why people laughed but I went with it. 

"There are 2 exits at the front of the plane, 2 at the rear, and 2 overwing exits.  At this time, please find the exit nearest to your seat, keeping in mind that your nearest exit may be behind you."

I chose the smallest line in the script possible, and as they went through the room, everyone started to read the same short line.  Then we all got herded out of the room, after being told of the 100+ people in there, 10 would be chosen.  I knew for sure I wasn't getting picked, so I went to the hotel bar to have a drink with my friend.  Afterwards I was planning on leaving, I didn't even want to go back and learn I wasn't chosen.  My friend told me just to go and be sure.  I didn't want the sting of rejection but I went anyway...and my name was on the door of the people chosen.

Holy crap!  Me!? 

I went back in the room with the other 10, and learned that in 2 weeks we'd all be flown out to Florida for 4 weeks of training.  What in the world do you need 4 weeks for training for I wondered?  Isn't it just pretzels and pepsi?

Did I mention I was afraid of flying?