Online Dating

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Looking for someone to hold my hand (even when it's sweaty and gross).

Young Love

One of my favorite spots in the world.

A Day at the Zoo

 

My first trip to the Bronx Zoo: giraffes and bears and gorillas and…dinosaurs?

Cooking for One...Sort Of

I recently stumbled upon a recipe for a cheesy sausage and wild rice casserole on Eat. Drink. Smile. that I wanted to try out. The first thing I thought after reading it was, "Wow, this is really easy!" So of course I had to try it. It sounded good and it only required four ingredients: a package of Uncle Ben's wild rice, one can of golden mushroom soup, one pound of sausage and mozzarella cheese. Mix it all together and voila...a casserole. I decided to make it today since I was working from home and needed lunch. Here's the result:

I made a few substitutions in my version since I'm on this get-in-shape-make-better-food-choices thing this month, but more on that later. Anyway, I replaced the sausage with veggie sausage and used lite mozzarella cheese. The one thing I forgot to swap out was the golden mushroom soup. I should have used the low sodium version. Don't get me wrong, it was yummy...but I think my taste buds are a little sensitive to salt now.

I realize this casserole is for more than one person, but sometimes it's difficult to slash a recipe by half. I mean, what was I going to do with half a box of Uncle Ben's and half a can of condensed soup? I do have some extra cheese so I think I might buy a head of cauliflower and try making the cauliflower pizza crust I also saw on the blog. I'll let you know how that turns out.

A Little Me Time

The company I work for decided to host an employee day at Six Flags on Friday. Although I'm not a big fan of roller coasters, I really didn't mind just walking around the park, going to the shops and enjoying a free buffet lunch. Unfortunately, since it was on a Friday I couldn't really find anyone to take the day off and go with me. Considering how the day went, this was probably a good thing.

I know it's hard to predict the weather weeks in advance, but oh my goodness was it hot! It was one of the hottest days of the summer. According to the weather guys, we hit a high of 108 degrees. No wonder I almost passed out numerous times during the 3 1/2 hours I was there! No matter how much I stayed hydrated--went through three 32-ounce drinks--I just couldn't take it anymore. So after lunch, which was outside under a pavilion that offered just a small amount of relief, I left the park with a bag of souvenirs and an M&M ice cream sandwich. There was an outlet mall down the road so I stopped there before heading home. I managed to snag a cute navy blue J. Crew dress and a peach Banana Republic shirt I love. I was so exhausted from the heat I found myself going to bed at 9:30.

I spent all day Saturday recovering. The last thing I wanted to do was spend more time in the heat wave. So, I sat at home and watched Blue Valentine and Titanic while I spent the entire day creating sets on polyvore.com. This one was definitely my favorite:

I love the idea of wearing this outfit on a date and going on a walk across the Brooklyn Bridge at sunset. The reality is that the heel would probably get stuck in one of the gaps between the wood, my feet would be killing me and my knees would be shaking not because of my date but because I hate heights. Oh well...but it is a damn cute outfit.

The heat today wasn't as bad as the past three days, but I still chose to spend two hours of the day at the movie theater watching Friends with Benefits. It's been awhile since I've actually fallen in love with a romantic comedy so I was a little scared that I'd only be rolling my eyes throughout the movie. So what was the verdict? Loved it. Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis have some crazy chemistry, which is probably the most important element of a romantic comedy since the basic story never really changes. It was funny and awkward and sweet. Of course it was completely unrealistic in the sense that they were young, had great jobs and amazing apartments in New York City. I'm here to tell you--that just doesn't happen.

I think the part of the movie that really got me was when Jamie (Mila) was showing Dylan (Justin) all the great things about NYC, including her favorite spot. This got me thinking about all my favorite spots in NYC and how I'll miss them when I'm gone. Then there was a scene where Dylan was showing Jamie his favorite spot in LA, and that got me missing all my favorite places in California. The relationship part of the movie was cool, too. The banter was great and I found myself laughing a lot. If you're not into romantic comedies, then you may want to pass on this movie. If you love them or you're a huge JT fan, then see it. He's naked a lot and he's dorky cute throughout the movie.

Since I'm obsessed with creating these polyvore.com collages, I created one to sum up my weekend:

Hope you had a great weekend and were able to enjoy a little "me" time as well!