Happy HallOUween

Time to put on my fat bee costume and fake eye lashes.

New "Project"

Last week I was contacted by an editor from one of the magazines that I interned for over the summer. "What did he want?" you ask... Well, he was curious if I would like to write for its website 1-2 times a week (I'll let you guess which magazine; gotta keep up that mystery. And it should be fairly obvious).

Please join me in a belated jump for joy.

No, no, it's not gonna be paid, mom (as far as they've mentioned), but it's a great opportunity for clips and to work with a publication that I respect. So boo-ya. I officially have my first assignment and am terrified but excited, so once it goes up I'll post it on here so ya'll can enjoy the read!

Oh yeah, Happy Wednesday

Accidental Ombre

I tried to dye my hair today. Erin thought I'd be fine on my own and for some reason her faith in my abilities turned into my own unwarranted confidence in myself. After 20 minutes of sitting and watching Sex and the City with sweet smelling hair over taking my scalp and, sadly, top of my forehead, I rinsed it all out, covered my head in conditioner and waited another two minutes before rinsing and blow drying it all out. After a quick survey of my hair I was really happy with the outcome.

And then I turned on the lamp.

The baby lamp sitting on our sink brought in enough light for me to see the huge chunk of hair that had escaped the dye and the inch long sections of hair around my head that also avoided coloring.

FAIL#1.

When Erin got home she touched it up, but I only have pictures of the before with my head titled so you can't tell.

What do you think? (No comments about my facial expression, puh-lease)

Moments at the (Laundro)Mat

“Excuse me miss, can these be stopped?”

“No, once it starts it goes. Why, did you forget to put soap in it or somethin’?”

“If only. I thought it was a dryer.”

“Oh, yeah, it’s not. Sorry.”

I shrugged, angry at myself and whoever decided to make washers that can’t be interrupted.

“I guess you’ll have extra clean clothes,” she laughed.

Still frustrated, I half-smiled and walked away. And so it continues.

A Recipe of Sorts

(Note: This is not a picture of MY sandwich, I ate it too quickly for photos. You understand. This is courtesy of www.midtownlunch.com. Looks good too, right?)

A few weeks ago, I ordered a sandwich from Mistretta's. The description of the sandwich was much better than the food itself, and I was both surprised and disappointed. The next day, while craving what that sandwich was supposed to be, I realized that I could make it on my own. Since this not-so-extraordinary light-bulb moment, I’ve become sandwich-crazed.

Every day I come home for lunch and I find myself sorting through the fridge, turning random ingredients into delicious amalgamations that satisfy my hunger and my caloric intake for the rest of the day (But who doesn’t need a few more pounds of warmth in the colder months? AmIright?). None of these sandwiches have been ground breaking; I’m sure that a quick recipe search could lead to an organized list of ingredients and instructions for any of “my” creations.

But I didn't look to google or The Joy of Cooking; I only searched my brain so I'm pretty proud of my Smoked Turkey and Two-Cheese Grilled Sub and in my Pepperoni-Mozzarella and Garlic Pizza Flatbread (I have yet to form creative names, you see). But of all my delicious sandwiches that keep me warm when the weather is not, my favorite is my Makeshift-Chicken “Parm” Panini, a sandwich so delicious, I could happily eat it every day. So, dear friends, I would like to share this crispy taste of happiness with you, for what is food about if not sharing joy?

Before I begin the description, I’d like to acknowledge that I do not follow the standard terms for recipes, so the measurements are at your discretion. Because of this problem, I’ll just list the ingredients here: bread, breaded chicken, parmesan or mozzarella cheese, sauce, garlic powder and avocado.

Let’s start at the base: I find it is best to use good bread. I recommend garlic herb bread, which can be found at most grocery stores. Erin and I go to Walmart and hit up the day old bakery section, which sounds disgusting but leads to delicious bread for $1.50. Total score.

Anyway, for the easiest track, take pre-cooked breaded chicken and cut it diagonally into half inch thick slices. Conservatively pour olive oil onto a skillet and sauté the chicken until it is golden brown.

While the chicken is being prepared, take two slices of bread and lightly brush olive oil on one side of each piece. Put the oiled side down on the skillet, and turn the burner to a low setting.

Now, let’s talk cheese: Despite Parmesan’s role in my title, I typically use mozzarella cheese because of its permanent spot in my fridge. However, either kind will be tasty. As the bread is toasting, take a nice amount of cheese and cover each slice.

Your chicken should be ready, so place the strips on one slice of bread and cover it in sauce. Add garlic powder on top and then put the pieces together and continue to grill the sandwich until it is well toasted. In the meantime, cut a ripe avocado into thin slices. Once you plop the sandwich on your plate, pry open the melted cheese and add on your avocado slices.

Now, put on a bib and gorge away.

No Alarms and No Surprises, Please

I've written before about my love for Sunday mornings. They have such a calm, beautiful allure that doesn't completely make sense, which only adds to their quiet charm.

This Sunday morning I watched New York, I Love You in bed. Just me, Netflix and a bowl of cereal. Considering the impressive cast, I expected more from this movie. I've seen it before, and I watch it more than I should, maybe because of the feeling it gives me. Some of the stories are really touching; I adore the elderly couple on their anniversary and the method actress going to prom in a wheel chair. And I miss New York like crazy.

Anyway, Sunday morning, in my digs: Although I spend little time in my room, it is my favorite space in this apartment. I love the butter-cream yellow walls and the bright light that floods in through the windows. I still have a lot of decorating to do, but the simplicity of the room combined with the display of my favorite clothes and hanging jewelry feels fresh and comforting. Since I began college I've lived in many different places, more than I would have thought, and this is the first place that truly feels like a home, not just a temporary stay.

Anyway, the plans for the day involve work and jogging. Homecoming did not do my body or school work well, so my relaxing morning is on the verge of turning into catch-up day. Gotta love Sundays.

P.S. The title is a reference to No Surprises by Radiohead, which is the base of my Sunday soundtrack

There aren't Enough Days in a Weekend

Went home for the weekend and, as they always do, it went by too quickly. I spent my weekend home the way I should have, doing nothing but cooking/eating/catching up with my family. But I forgot about my school work. Whoopsies. Regardless, it was amazing being back. I love my fam.

On Sunday, my mom, Hannah and I made homemade pizza on the grill with pesto, prosciutto, artichokes and fresh mozzarella. Excuse me while I wipe the drool off of my keyboard. And I made apple pie with crumb topping "for my dad" and ohmygoodnessitwassodelicious.

The whole weekend was relaxing and fun. Brings me back to good ol' times in the 'Nati. As if Fall doesn't make me sentimental enough.

Oh, and the hair was never ombrefied. Fail at Life #1. Standing in front of the hair dyes at Walgreens, I began to realize how terrible it could turn out and how bad it would be for my hair and pathetically slim wallet to fix it.

One day I'll be brave and take risks.

Ombre-fy

I'm seriously considering making my hair ombre (obreying my hair? Putting in ombre highlights? How exactly do you form that? Oh well.) If you don't read any sort of beauty site or pay attention to these sorts of issues, ombre is a gradation in hair color, which sounds really ugly but can be very pretty. Ch-ch-ch-check it out:

See how subtle and gorge this is? I've managed to convince myself that my sister and I can re-create this from a $12 box of hair dye. And that her shine comes along with it. And her face. Yep, this is the normal amount of delusion for me. Sadly, it only ends after I follow through.

Moving on, here SJP, the icon of my life, has a different kind of ombre look. I actually don't know if this even counts as ombre, but it's a look I'm also considering. Pretty, right?

We'll see if this actually goes down on Saturday.

Athens Chilled Out

I am fall's biggest cheerleader, so if you check Athens, OH on weather.com you can imagine my happiness with the high of 58 and rainy overcast forecast. Lovin' it. Of course, true love requires give and take, so while daytime Becky is happy, night time me is unhappily freezin', to the point where I'm considering attaching my snuggie to my skin. How painful do we think that'd be? Livin' in a brick apartment has its flaws.

One more thought before I return to my chilled state: I'm in a Column Writing class (which I love love love (that's a lotta love)) and each Sunday we have to write a 500-word column. My professor assigns a general topic and then we churn out the crafty language and opinion. I'm going to start posting them, so hopefully they strike a cord with some of you. I'd love to get feedback, whether you like what I'm saying or not, throw it at me!