2011 photo yearbook project day #31

Taco night!  Or, well, taco nachos.  Powdered taco seasoning mixes are hard on my tummy, but when I saw this recipe on Mel's Kitchen Cafe blog last year for homemade taco meat from scratch, I had to try it!  It's been my go-to recipe any time I've been craving tacos ever since.  It's so easy and so tasty.

I add a good amount of jalapenos (this time fresh but sometimes a diced can) to give it a kick and I add a bit more tomato sauce (the can I bought from TJs was 15 oz rather than the 8 oz she has in the recipe).  But it's perfect for topping tortilla or corn chips for nachos.  Yum!

2011 photo yearbook project day #30

Since I've started my knitting supplies collection, I needed something to hold all of my loose needles, both straight and double pointed needles.  I found this cute sewn fabric needle organizer from an Etsy seller and after it arrived yesterday, I organized my needles today.  Some of the needles are a little loose right now but I think that's because my organizer isn't more full.  See how cute this whale print is?

I liked how it closes with a strap and adjustable buckle.  I can't wait until the Bar is over and I can work on learning how to become a better knitter.  I'm such a yarn addict, haha.

2011 photo yearbook project day #29

Today we spent a few hours in the morning going to the Fullerton alumni baseball game so Matt could get some of his cards signed.   Then we met up with Daf and her new bf Josh at Portillo's in Buena Park for yumminess before our eagerly anticipated day at Disneyland!  It was SO much fun, and although I had thought Josh was joking earlier this week that he had a full bottle of Midori waiting for me, he seriously had a full bottle of Midori for me!  That was super nice of him and I wonder how he ever knew I liked Midori sours so much...hmm :)

The past few times we've gone to D-land/CA Adventure, we've been unable to win the Bullseye plush (from Toy Story) at the racing game on the CA Adventure boardwalk.  This time, we made it a mission to all play at the same time and increase our chances, since there were four of us.  Matt almost won the first time, but it turned out that Daf won him on our second try!  When the bell rang and it turned out her horse came in first, she started screaming especially when the guy gave her the prize.  Too funny!  I love him, though...Thanks Daf!  He's staring at me right now as I write this actually, haha.  Somehow she always manages to win the prize for me at CA Adventure - last time it was Dumbo and this time, Bullseye.  She must have the magic touch :)

It was a super fun day, though, and I can't wait when we can all go again soon once a lot of our busy and stressful crappy things are over, especially now that we all have annual passes!  We got to ride a bunch of rides and see fireworks and Fantasmic (the crowds weren't too bad and thinned out by the end of the night), and take silly pictures and share crazy stories along the way.  So much fun and more tasty treats to have soon! 

Daf also let me use her new Nikon DLSR camera a bit and I really liked how it felt and how easy it was to use.  I can't wait to have my own, hopefully pretty soon.

Oh yeah and for the record, hot peppers on the Portillo's Italian Beef sandwich are delicious!  I always thought they were sport peppers but really, it's a delicious giardiniera that was vinegary and crunchy with jalepenos, carrots, and the like.  I want another one just thinking about it right now.

2011 photo yearbook project day #28

Matt returned Friday night (a little late) for a weekend visit.  He brought me a sandwich from Mr. Pickles!  Mmm...Mr. Pickles is this sandwich shop up north (although they do have one location in OC for now) and I think it's pretty nommy.  They use freshly baked breads and have this special garlic spread they put on the sandwiches, which you can sort of see as that yellow layer below the turkey.  The sandwich was still delicious even though it was a few hours after it was made.  That's a turkey and cheddar sandwich with everything on sourdough bread.  YUM.  They even give you a free freshly baked chocolate chip cookie with every sandwich!  It was definitely a good treat.  I wish they'd open one in the LA area, I'd probably go all the time.

He also brought me this early Valentine's Day friend:

Such a big monkey!  Matt found him at Walgreens and wanted to give him to me now since he had driven down and it would be easier than trying to carry him on the plane later, haha.  He's so soft and cuddly and so cute.  I love squeezing him.  He's seriously big but looks so cute just sitting here on the bed.  I mean really, look at his little face!  And he's clutching a rose, aww.

2011 photo yearbook project day #27

When Matt's away, sometimes the most precious messages I can send are photos.  Here, Stitches and I decided to say hello from afar, via text message.

2011 photo yearbook project day #26

Lil Casanova found a new friend...

2011 photo yearbook project day #25

 

After a month and a half and 3 offices, I finally got my office name tag.  Still feels sorta weird.

Butterfly not included, of course; that's just some Picasa editing magic for privacy reasons :)

2011 photo yearbook project day #24

Cool things in the mail today:

Feb. 2011 edition of SD Zoo's ZOONOOZ, that, as Zoo members, we get a free subscription for the year.  The magazine is monthly and always includes fun news and info about things happening at the Zoo, with the animals, and at the SD Zoo Safari Park.  I love receiving it every month!  I'm always learning new things about what's happening at the park and interesting information about the animals, from their background stories to seeing zoo babies, aww.

This month's edition included the above article, about changes to Panda Canyon.  It's a long letter but the snippet I found most interesting was this:

Construction begins this spring to create a Chinese wildlife walk, with authentic elements along a trail that leads to the existing panda viewing areas. along the way visitors will encounter new exhibits for Sichuan takins, red pandas, and the Mangshan pit viper, which is found in the mountains of China. Stands of bamboo, stone bridges, and a small village with a panda field research camp provide interactive opportunities for guests and a glimpse into the life of a giant panda researcher. Visitors will also discover more about pandas, including spotting the signs of pandas that researchers look for, what a mother giant panda seeks out as a den to raise her cub, the many types of bamboo that pandas rely on, and how important forests are to pandas,both ecologically and behaviorally. these elements will all be a part of phase one of this project, which will be completed this summer.  Phase two, which we hope to build by 2012, will add an exhibit for red-crowned cranes and a treehouse climbing structure for kids to explore, among other discoveries.

How cool is that??  The pandas will still be on display during the construction, but access to the area will vary depending on the building and equipment needs.  All of this will be built to the left of the current entrance to the exhibit and I think it's going to look awesome in the summer when it's done.  Can't wait!

There was also this page:

Look at that trip to China, and to see/interact with pandas (May 15-28, 2011)!

If you've ever dreamed of cuddling a giant panda cub, this grand tour of china is the ideal adventure! You will have ample opportunities to encounter these endearing black-and-white bears at giant panda breeding centers in Chengdu, as well as at Wolong's satellite panda base, Bi Feng Xia, which celebrated 16 panda births last year. In addition, you will visit mystical Tibet and one of the world's most beautiful national parks, Juizhaigou.

Too bad the cost is $6,530 plus airfare, plus $1,990 for the Shanghai extension and $2,290 for the Zian extension.  What an awesome experience, though.

This also arrived today:

I had a super crummy day last week and cheered myself up with this purchase.  It's from my lovely Etsy friend Lauren of jerseymaids.  It's an extra long necklace (30") with a real working pocketwatch and a polaroid image that Lauren photographed and placed into a silver bezel.  I already own a different pocketwatch pendant in brass and I love it so much, and this one in silver with its unique photo bezel was equally adorable!  Can't wait to wear it soon :)

2011 photo yearbook project day #23

A big pot full of happy:

I got too tired last night to make my chicken tikka masala (aka butter chicken) but I made it today and it was spicy and delicious!  My belly is now really full and food coma is probably going to hit.

There are a lot of variations out there but I loved this recipe for being fairly easy.  I sliced chicken breasts into strips and marinated it in a lovely spice mixture of lemon juice, cumin, cinnamon, minced ginger, salt, cayenne and black pepper.  Like yesterday's chicken schwarma, I forgot to buy yogurt so I used some oil to make it more of a marinade.  Into the fridge it went for about an hour.

For the start of the sauce, I melted butter and sauteed a minced glove of garlic with a minced jalapeno.  To that I added more cumin, paprika, and cayenne.  Then a tomato sauce was added with a cup of heavy cream and it was simmered to reduce for about 20 minutes.  Lazy to pull out the grill pan again, I browned the chicken in a saute pan and finished it in the sauce after it had thickened up a bit.  Once it was done and the heat was off, I hit the pot with a handful of chopped cilantro.

I served this over basmati rice and heated up some TJs naan - the frozen ones, which are far superior to the ones in the bakery aisle.  Spicy and delicious!

Next time, I think I'll grate the ginger rather than mincing because I keep eating small chunks but the flavors were spot on with what I was hoping for.  This is going to make great leftovers for the week, yay!

Want to enjoy this easy meal yourself?  Check out the recipe here:  Mel's Kitchen Cafe's chicken tikka masala.  I love Mel's blog, I've tried quite a few recipes from it and have found them delicious, especially the clam chowder.  Enjoy!

2011 photo yearbook project day #22

YUM, look at that tastiness!  I ate this for lunch today and it was delish and a snap to make.

I've had this recipe from Cooking Light for chicken shwarma for a while now and only just thought to make it the past few days.  Chicken shwarma is this lovely garlicky, lemony dish that has this great yogurt sauce (also garlicky) that's usually grilled on kebobs.  I made a few changes as far as prep and serving but it was so tasty - and relatively healthy!

What you see there is a pita (with sesame seeds) from TJs warmed up in a pan on the bottom.  I layered on some TJs hummus, followed by a handful of romaine lettuce, a few slices of tomato and my lovely chicken shwarma with some TJs tzatziki (cucumber yogurt sauce) on top.  The chicken was chicken breast, cut into thin strips and marinated in lemon juice, olive oil, minced garlic, cumin, curry powder, and salt.  I was too lazy to dig out the grill pan so I just sauteed the chicken in a frying pan and it was still delish!  Garlicky lemony goodness indeed.  The original recipe calls for making a homemade garlicky lemony yogurt sauce but I forgot to buy yogurt so I just used the hummus and tzatziki instead.  It was still awesome!  I think this meat would've been awesome just served with rice, too, if you didn't want the mess of a pita (but I loved the mess of sauces and juices that melded together and dripped out).

Here's a link to the recipe, try it out sometime, too!  It's definitely a recipe that's going into my circulation of meals :)  Cooking Light chicken shwarma recipe

I'm trying out my chicken tikka masala recipe tonight (also known as butter chicken).  It's a wonderfully delicious Indian meal so hopefully it'll turn out great, too!

2011 photo yearbook project day #21

A weekend and upcoming week by myself means time for groceries so I can cook my meals!  If you know me, you know how terribly picky of an eater Matt is so I sometimes sacrifice a lot when it comes to my meals.  But I hit up Trader Joe's after work yesterday and bought ingredients to make chicken schwarma and chicken tikka masala this weekend.

While there, I saw these babies in the frozen food section:

Falafels always make me think of my mom (hi mommy!) who has fallen in love with them since about last year.  These little guys had so much promise...but would they be tasty?

Frozen out of the bag

Hot out of the oven

So how were they?  Sadly, they were just ok.  I expected them to be softer but the chickpeas weren't pureed smoothly enough so it was somewhat dry and chunky.  The flavor was also heavily parsley and not much else, maybe some garlic.  Disappointing!  But oh well, they were worth a try.  Stuff at TJs is sometimes hit or miss and I have found a lot of hits that make up for the shortcomings.

TJs also was selling a ton of orchids and baby orchids and after the orchid I bought at Ikea (that has since bloomed 2-3 additional flowers, hehe), I couldn't resist a baby orchid!  They're sitting together right now and look super cute.  The baby orchid has white flowers tinged in pink.  Orchid obsession! :)  I'll need to take another picture later of the newest addition once it gets settled in.

2011 photo yearbook project day #20

Today's photo is brought to you by the view from my office.

Correction:  3rd office.  In a month.

Ever since I started my job, I've been bouncing around from office to office.  My first office I had for about a week and a half before I moved into the office of a former attorney on my team.  Then I was informed this week that I'd be switching offices with a new attorney who just started.  I don't really mind - the view is nice and since it faces the north side of the building, I can actually keep my window wide open because the sun doesn't shine in my face mid-day.  And it's actually warm on this side of the office!  Hopefully this will be my last move and I can set up shop for real into my new home.  I already have a picture frame and bamboo plant waiting to be brought in.

This pic didn't come out too bad considering I used my phone to take it before I left for lunch.  The Westin hotel is actually next door.  I always laugh because I can see the outdoor swimming pool on one of the decks and people are just chilling out there or swimming all day long.  And WAY in the distance, you can see downtown LA.  This day was sorta hazy and you can really only see the layer of smog (YUCK), but there's a faint outline of the city, the Hollywood sign, and to the east, the mountains actually had snow on them!

(Yes, those work papers piled up are super fun.  Deadlines galore...)

2011 photo yearbook project day #19

Unexpectedly and abruptly, Matt's work stay in LA ended today and he had to leave for an undetermined amount of time to work out of town :(  I've been spoiled having him around 24/7 the past year so it'll be a real adjustment dealing with being apart again and the traveling just to see each other every weekend...I guess it'll be easier as time goes on, but having to say bye every time has never gotten easier even going into the 4th year that I've had to deal with this reality.  Hopefully things can change this year and he can find a new, stable, and stay-put job, or so I hope.  It's hit me hardest first since I'm the one who feels left behind, and he was too stressed out trying to pack that I don't think it's hit him yet.  It's actually been a sad day overall, dealing with this and then a pretty bad day at work.  Bummer.

He did leave me our special friends all gathered together, and Bigfoot is even sporting the T-shirt that he wore when we first met.  Aww.  It's sweet but didn't really help with my sadness, haha.  *sniffles*

2011 photo yearbook project day #18

I made a cute crochet amigurumi lamb (dubbed lambie) for my friend last summer and he loved lambie so much, he gifted me a $50 Best Buy gift card to say thanks.  Matt and I put that card to good use and bought this game - and it's awesome!  I had never played an old school Donkey Kong game before but this one has great graphics, is easy to pick up, and has fun music.

Usually we struggle with playing these types of games with the two of us (since he's so much better than I am so I'm always dying, oops) but this is really double player friendly.  It also helps that although it's fast paced, there are lots of fun things to find and no timer so we don't have to keep an eye on the clock.  And being monkey-themed doesn't hurt either, of course :)

2011 photo yearbook project day #17

I saw these awesome OXO Good Grips airtight containers were on sale at World Market and I still had our $10 gift certificate that we earned from the rewards program so I got my hands on some!  They have a push button on top that you hit to go from airtight to open and they're super handy.  I'm looking forward to putting our snacks into them so they don't go stale, like candy and cookies, and also, people swear by them to put bread into so it stays fresh longer.  Sounds good to me!

That's actually 3 pounds of Haribo gummy bears right there.  Haribo makes the best gummy bears!  We already dug into some of it tonight and I love how it's so much easier to access, share, and store our favorite candy treats.  The containers are also so cute.  Yay!

2011 photo yearbook project day #16

Clippers vs. Lakers game and the Clippers had an awesome win!  Happy day indeed :)

Then it was made even happier when Matt fulfilled his dream of interacting with a monkey.  He shook this little guy's hand on 3rd Street Promenade in Santa Monica.

This was actually the second time he shook his hand - I couldn't take the first one because a little kid with a balloon ran up right between us just as I was about to take the first one, UGH.  But Matt loved this beyond words of course.  The monkey even took off his little cowboy hat and bowed at us.  Funny stuff :)

2011 photo yearbook project day #15

Tasty treats from Matt's road trip - cheese and caramel corn, YUM.  He walked all the way to Terminal 1 for me just so I could have my favorite Chicago snack :)

Then I was surprised with this little plush from twistyfishes on Etsy (visit Kristie's shop at twistyfishies.etsy.com).  I had this winking pirate apple slice in my favorites for a while now and had noticed it had been sold, but I had no idea Matt bought her.  Isn't she so cute?  She's small, too, and basically fits in the palm of my hand and is sewn well.

And while he was poking around twistyfishes' shop, he found this alien crochet that he liked so he got him, too.  Cute stuff!

See, we always love plush :)

2011 photo yearbook project day #14

I always wanted an orchid, and when I stopped by Ikea on the way home from work to buy a bamboo plant for my office, I saw this beauty and I had to have her!  They even make special orchid pots now which I took as a sign that I should get it for sure :)  The pot has a raised center inside for the orchid container to ‘sit’ on it, and it makes it easier to lift in and out for giving the plant a water bath.

Isn’t she pretty?  There were some beautiful white ones, too, but I loved the richness of this one.  And it sorta felt like the flowers were looking at me quizzically and asking me, ‘why aren’t you taking me with you?’  HA.  Hope I have enough of a green thumb to keep her alive and blooming.  I love how it looks in my apt already.

p.s.  I also loved how Ikea was dead on a Friday night, it made looking at things and getting around SO much easier.  I've been to that one during the weekends and it's hellish.  I do not, however, like that they only have self-checkouts open there now.  I can never get the scanner to work!!  Especially since the majority of things have plastic coverings and it's impossible for the scanner to read the bar codes, ugh.  I always look like an idiot until a poor worker has to come and help me.

But I did find some cute stuff, like jars so I can make some marinated goodies like feta and mozzarella, and I got some cute boxes to clean up the pile of mess Matt always makes with receipts, etc., all over the floor.  While cleaning, I found $3, score! I also found a cute metal laundry bag/hamper with wheels that I thought would be super cute to store yarn projects while I'm working on them so I don't have skeins of yarn flopping around everywhere.  It has a flap cover, too, so dust can stay out.  However, once I came home and tried to put it together, I realized that the entire frame is metal and it needs to be hammered together (multiple times) which is no good when you live in an apt.  And it was also 9pm.  I'll probably have to take it down to the parking garage and hammer it there sometime during the day if/when I want to put it together.  Great.

p.s.s.  I was looking at a shelving unit with multiple cubicles and dreaming of future crafty storage when I flipped the tag over and for some reason, it made me laugh (sorry for the poor picture quality, I snapped it with my phone's camera):

See, it's 'good to know' that 'two people are needed to assembly this furniture.'   I think it's funnier because I hear it in my head as being said in a super fobby voice, too :)

2011 photo yearbook project day #13

Peachies are yet another reason why I know Matt and I are meant to be.  (Or that perhaps we're really the same person.)

I love gummies and peachies are definitely up there along with Haribo gummy bears and sour patch kids/watermelon.  And, of course, it turns out Matt loves peachies, too.  I mean, LOVES.  So I buy him a bag (or two) whenever I see them.

Michael's has the best of both worlds for us - peachies for him, crafts for me :)  Trolli ones are the best ones, by the way.  Trust us - we should know with the amount of gummies we consume :P

2011 photo yearbook project day #12

Received my happy storm pendant from Malarie of itsastitch on Etsy today - isn't he cute?  The happy storm cloud is actually a print on some vintage fabric and is displayed so cutely in a silver frame.  Malarie was one of the first friends I made through Etsy about a year ago, so it was a pleasure being her first customer to kick off 2011!  Check out that cute packaging, too...I'm a sucker for cute animals :)  Thanks Malarie!

2011 photo yearbook project day #11

New Year's Resolution #1:  Learn to knit this year.

Look at all the adorable things just waiting to be made!

2011 photo yearbook project day #10

Survived yet another Monday.  We've been re-shuffling cases and today, the cases were finalized as mine and BAM, I've suddenly been slammed with a ton of deadlines.  Being busy isn't necessarily a bad thing but it was still a shock to my system.

I had a brain fart this morning and wore a new pair of shoes without thinking to bring sneakers for driving or socks for changing into my boots if they started to hurt.  Of course, by lunch time, my feet were killing me and since I ran some errands after work, I got a painful blister!  I decided to treat Matt to Chipotle for dinner since he's leaving for his business trip tomorrow for the rest of the week and it also happens to be our monthly anniversary, so we had to celebrate a night early.  But of course, as I was walking back to my car, I realized I killed the blister and I limped all the way home.  Time to crack out the Neosporin and some band-aids, ugh.  Lesson learned to be more cautious about new shoes and to remember to always have sneaky sneaks or flip flops in the car at all times just in case I have to change into them.  I should seriously stick to loafers and boots which I can wear comfortably and with socks.  Ugh...

This is what I ate for dinner.  Not the most attractive pic but it was still a yummy steak burrito :)

2011 photo yearbook project day #9

Newest obsession:  The Body Shop.

I had tried stuff from The Body Shop when I was in college and thought it was ok.  I liked their oil diffusers and used one to add some lovely fragrance to my apt when I first lived here.  But lately, I've been noticing that I'm getting older (ugh) and my skin isn't doing as well as it used to and I've become a bit paranoid that I haven't been protecting it enough from the harsh elements of nature.  So back to The Body Shop I went to try out their Seaweed line, made for people with combination skin like me - oily T-zone but really dry cheeks.  I've been really impressed!  And I like feeling like I'm taking care of my skin (plus it's great to not have skin that hurts and to feel like a giant oil slick sometimes).

They've been having an awesome sale post-holidays and yesterday I tried out their body lotion and I love it!!  Not only do they smell amazing (the strawberry, grapefruit and satsuma scents are body lotion purees, YUM) but unlike most lotions that I usually hate using, they're not greasy and I don't feel like I'm leaving sticky residue everywhere I go.  Even Matt, who hates anything frou frou, said it made his skin feel less winter itchy and it felt nice.  Go figure!

So go out and give these babies a try...I'm wearing grapefruit on my hands right now and they smell so good that I almost want to take a bite out of myself, haha.

2011 photo yearbook project day #8

Busy busy day!  We spent the entire day running around, from shopping to gathering groceries and stuff for the house at Target, to a fine feast at the end of the night that was delivered by not one, but TWO fine dining establishments for us to enjoy.  We were so hungry and starving that it all really hit the spot in our exhausted minds and tummies.  We also showed up so late to my sister's apartment complex that the parking rate was a flat rate of $5, SCORE.  Check out the big stash of stuff we managed to haul:

We sure were tired and starving after that:

So we were REALLY excited for our nommy late night meal - first up, Papa John's pepperoni pizza:

And deliciousness from TG Express:

We like egg rolls.  A LOT.

Salt and pepper squid with yummy jalapenos.

Sharing a large Thai iced tea, mmmm.

My favorite:  shrimp fried rice

All in all, a good day ending on a good night, even if it was long and exhausting.  Gotta love our adventures!

Oh, and check out the receipt from the TG Express order.  They sure gave my sister a funny name...

2011 photo yearbook project day #7

It's finally Friday!!!  So happy beyond words.  Somehow I managed to make it through my day (albeit zombie-like) and then I got to rush home and then my sister and I did some shopping and brought home dinner.  We did good finding cute clothes on clearance, using gift cards, and coupons galore.  Yes!  I was a bit too starving, too, so I meant to take a pic before I ate but only remembered after I consumed the majority of my delicious, spicy, Mongolion BBQ noodle goodness:

Yum yum yum!  Tomorrow we have to help my sister re-stock up on stuff for her apartment and bring her back there so it'll be a busy day.  Good stuff.  I can't wait to sleep in at least!

2011 photo yearbook project day #6

It's almost Friday!!  My sister came back from her holiday break so I spent a lot of time on the road driving to and from work, the airport, and home.  405 freeway, you are the bane of my existence.  But I got to finally get my Christmas goodies AND some bonus surprises, like Malnati's pizza (which I have been craving, especially since I read an article just yesterday about The Lou and the new Chicago Classic and bam, some pieces showed up inside my sister's luggage, yum!) and Christmas cookies.  Hehehe, belly so full.

I also got other goodies, like this adorable backpack by Paperchase:

Funny, but I actually saw this a few weeks ago and almost bought it myself (but Matt stopped me because he said it was too small).  Good thing I didn't buy it because my mommy bought it for me instead!  I love it.  I love Paperchase stuff, they always have such cute prints.  It was a funny holiday season because my mom and I had the exact line of thinking for every gift.  Go figure!  Great minds think alike, I guess.

2011 photo yearbook project day #5

Yet another long and crazy day today.  But I survived, even though I got asked some weird/crazy questions at work.  Still more bonding with my co-worker which is happy and good in light of the frustrating things there sometimes - it's good to be reassured that I'm not crazy and it's really them :P  Tomorrow my sister comes back from Chicago.  I can't believe how time has flown by.  Hopefully she'll have a normal on-time flight even though she has a million things to pack and haul back here.  Oops.

Nothing too exciting today, but I'm dedicating today's photos to my crazy hammie sisters.  I always give them 2 TP cardboard rolls every time we clean their hamitat and their favorite part is to attack, rip and shred any remnants of TP off of them.  I've learned to leave a few squares on every roll just so they have something fun to play with every time.  I think since it's been so cold, they've decided that the TP makes great extra bedding to huddle together and stay warm so they mix the shredded bits up with their paper and aspen bedding.  The funny thing is, wherever I leave the rolls, they'll rip it off and build their nest right at that spot.  Check out this mess (and a hammie butt):

Silly hammies!  But I love them anyway.  Hammie sisters love each other so much that Zippy always helps Bella groom, too:

Go hammies!  They always make me smile :)

2011 photo yearbook project day #4

Long day...from being roped into a wild goose chase at the end of the workday which resulted in some unpleasantness to running around looking for Matt's joe's o's for dinner, I'm totally pooped.  I did bond with one of my co-workers today so that was a major plus.  Note to self:  the TJs near my apt, although close, sucks and never has anything I want or need.  Too bad I had to backtrack and go to the other one I had already passed on the way home.  Go with instinct next time!

I managed to salvage a bad situation and popped into the Old Navy after I gathered up the o's.  I found some cute stuff on clearance!  Which is perfect now that I'm mostly shopping with 'work clothes' in mind.  And with the gift cards I've earned over the past few months, I got a big chunk of my clearance items for free basically :)  Also, Valentine's Day is around the corner and they had some cute little plushies at the checkout.  I couldn't resist this face:

A cute little monkey for my monkey :)  His name is Casanova.  Ooo la la.