2010 so far….

Well, it has been a good year so far even though we are 4 days in.  I have managed to think of 3 vacations that I can go on, plus some time off in a few weeks when I have a friend coming in from out-of-town. I went to the gym 2 of the 4 days and am down  20 lbs from last year, in a single size jeans haven’t seen these bad boys in 2 years almost! I have a sexy swim suit now I just need some hot weather so I can sport it at the beach !

I am having a girls night in party on Sat should be a blast, time to reconnect after the holidays!

Ringing in the new year…. Cocktails of the Season!

Ok New Year’s Eve, where will you be out at a trendy bar like me! ( Martini Bar with dinner, entertainment, ) a great chic way to ring in the new year.  Well if you are at home and need some new recipes from the Hampton’s Weekly here are a few of my favorites!

Berry Frost (17 oz. pitcher) – Created by Kim Haasarud, Liquid Architecture

 • 1.5 oz. Belvedere Vodka
 • 1 oz. lemon juice
 • 1 oz. simple syrup
 • 3 oz. white cranberry juice
 • 20 red and white grapes
 • 6 oz Moet & Chandon Impérial Champagne

Directions: In the bottom of a 17 oz. pitcher, muddle the grapes. Add the Belvedere vodka, lemon juice, simple syrup and white cranberry juice. Stir. Cover and keep refrigerated until ready to use. When ready to use, stir contents and top with chilled White Star champagne. Stir again. Serve with cocktail glasses filled with ice and pre-garnished with three to four grapes.

NOTE: While Sangrias can be “made-to-order”, they are better the longer they sit in the pitcher. For optimum taste, make at least an hour in advance. (The pre-batched pitchers can be made up to 48 hours in advance).

Winter Wanderlust

 • 1 oz./16 1/2 oz. X-Rated Fusion Liqueur
 • 1/2 oz./25 oz. SKYY Vodka
 • 1 oz./16 1/2 oz. Orange Juice
 • 1oz./16 1/2 oz. Pineapple Juice
 • 1/2 oz./8 oz. Grenadine

Directions: To serve as a cocktail: Serve in a highball glass. Garnish with twist of orange. To serve as a punch: Combine one bottle of SKYY Vodka, 16 1/2 oz. of X-Rated Fusion Liqueur, 16 1/2 oz. of Orange Juice, 16 1/2 oz. of Pineapple Juice, and 8 oz. of Grenadine in a bowl. Serve mixture directly into ice filled glasses and stir to cool the mixture. Garnish with slices of orange.

New Year’s Eve Sparkler
Infuse passion into the New Year with a flashy cocktail featuring SKYY Infusions Passion Fruit, fresh juice and raspberries. The New Year’s Sparkler is an easy way to spice up your champagne flute this New Year’s Eve.

 • 1 oz. SKYY Infusions Passion Fruit
 • 1.5 oz. Pomegranate Juice
 • 3.5 oz. Champagne
 • 5 to 6 Raspberries

Directions: Combine SKYY Infusions Raspberry and cranberry juice in a chilled champagne flute and top with champagne. Garnish with raspberry tree – slide five to six raspberries onto long skewer and place vertically in champagne glass….

Hope these help……

Happy Holidays and New Resolutions

Ok, so I have been MIA for awhile, well in what has been the saga of my life, which is stranger than fiction. My lovely ex who was two timing me and his girlfriend. Well, Karma is a bitch, she is pregnant, and his family wasn’t happy there weren’t married so he proposed to her ( he has know her 2 months ) so with a baby on the way and getting married, booya good luck buddy! Hope she gets everything and he gets what he deserves for making my life a living hell for the past year.  After 8 years together I hardly know him anymore and don’t feel the need to talk to him. Even when I bust his ass about it, he thinks it is cute and a compliment. Really is he this stupid! YES! New year and new resolutions ahead! Bring on 2010

Love Stinks……… Yeah Yeah……

Ok so we have established that I love Sex and the City, great well I have turned into her with out a script to get Mr. Big at the end! Where to begin, my 8 yr relationship came to a crashing halt back in March, so I was hurt, beyond hurt devastated, but I thought the weight has been lifted since we called the wedding off right before, and still stayed together 4 years after. It was going no where, so finally someone said something that someone wasn’t me, and I got my own place, etc. We still talked all the time, and hung out. I went on vacation met someone, he freaked out, said that he wants me in his life, and can’t imagine a life with out me, but if someone comes along in the mean time who are we to say how it turns out.  I basically throw the new guy away for the old guy, who now wants friends with benefits, and seems to want to be together. Well, enter Facebook, he had been acting weird, so I confront him on it, he rips me a new ass about seeing someone I just bought you this great, birthday present etc, 2 weeks later Relationship status IN RELATIONSHIP WITH woman with kids.  Ok this is how I find out, and I am not supposed to be mad, we are best friends, I do talk or text him multiple times a day as does he to me. He usually calls when he wakes up and through out the day, and when crisis hits, I am the first phone call.  I was told we had more like a brother sister relationship now, well do you always sleep with your sister?? This new one seems like a real winner 2 kids premade family, but does she know that he calls me and texts me all the time, gee I wonder. Also, does she know he said to me that there is always a special place for me in his life and no other girl will ever get in the way of that, and he would do anything for me at anytime given what we have been through with the 9 years in the past history that we have.  Hmmmm how will it turn out, well I called new guy back and he is thankful and even though out-of-state wants to get together, and see me, even after I wrote him off, I must be that tremendous person old guy said that I was for new guy to want me back. Why are relationships so f***in difficult.

Covet Shop with out sin

Omg Covet Shop, well this has to be the best emails that I ever get. What am I talking about, gee I was with you about a month ago until I came across this. Go to www.covet.com and they have a stylyzer (tm) that asks you questions about fashion what shirts you like and you do this for possibly 5 min, then it goes through this program and sends you an email about what your style is then it sends your first email, you rate  the items with this heart for love or broken heart for hate. It gives you the best prices without leaving your home all you have to do is shop on-line! This is awesome, I have found some great dresses and shirts for practically nothing!  This is kind of like the site of bag borrow or steal except, the clothes are bought and kept! I think this is really awesome.

Sarah Jessica Parker is coming out with a new scent name after the show Sex and the City it  will be available soon and she will be on the December cover of Elle Magazine.

Dooney and Burke are having and outlet special this weekend at any of their outlet stores!!! Shop Early

Ah a day in the City……

Now I remember why I want to live in the City! Commuting form outer lying suburbs is seriously insane. Can be anywhere from 2 hours to 1 hour.  So after a great week at the convention, we at last had a room, and stayed at the Westin at the Boston Convention Center.

The Westin was great a little pricey but well worth it, the theme is serenity. The rooms were very clean lines, awesome bedding with  4 choices of pillows. Great bath products, white tea shampoo and conditioner, along with cream. Now this is what I am talking about a double shower head, with awesome massage!!!!!! I didn’t want to get out of the shower that day. Breakfast was Starbucks, because I wanted to venture out into the city.

I left the hotel feeling rested and refreshed, headed over to Boston’s North End. I haven’t been there in awhile, well they have a bunch of great boutiques as well as some favorites. I started out walking around searching into the little shops before going upon the mission.

I headed over to Bova’s Bakery on Prince street for Italian Rolls, they have some awesome frozen homemade dinner’s there for about 8.00. I got the Italian rolls I had searched out, then headed down over to Pace’s. Looking around picked up some homemade sausages, and pesto. I then walked over to the newest homemade pasta place DePasquale’s they have truffle pasta, lobster pasta all with in reason for pricing. Homemade non flavored about 3.00 for a container. ( about as big as the contindina one in the super market) The lobster and truffle one’s are about 7.95 a container.

After that I headed for lunch at Strega, a little pricey for lunch, but I had homemade gnocchi with sauce and it was fabulous for 16.95. The serve that with foccia bread, and olives with olive oil.  My friend got chicken and mushroom risotto which was really good also for about 17.95. While I was sitting there a few people came in and left I think due to the prices after looking at the menu they up and were out the door.

Then we headed to the Salumeria Italiana Groceria which is great for the local mozzarella, cold meat, olives.  This is where I got the list of things that everyone wanted for their Italian subs. Lastly I headed over to Modern Pastry for the Toronne. Nougat with almonds in chocolate it is heaven! 

After all this I headed back home, and had the best dinner of Caprese Salad, with the mozzarella, basil and tomatoes. Then the homemade pasta with pesto followed by the Toronne for dessert! The perfect way to end the day!  

 

Girls Night The Musical…… In the City

Ok, so my Saturday was filled with feeling like I was a City Girl for at least a little while. I had to go into the City on a Saturday for a conference, so I packed myself up and headed in. Got there and met up with some of my colleagues, had a great time with them checking out the newest convention center.  Finally it was time to head to meet my friends for dinner before the show.

Club Cafe in the city of Boston, well parking is at the Garage at 100 Clarendon St, the directions are a little bit misleading, and Club Cafe is on Columbus Ave, and if you are taking the T, the stop is right on the corner of Columbus and Clarendon.  After getting there and finding my friends, we headed over to eat dinner at Club Cafe.

You get 20% discount on food and drinks when you are seeing a show there for the entire party. After looking at the drink menu I decided on the Island Girl, which was grey goose, X rated liquor, blue curaco, and a splash of cranberry with a twist of lemon 8.00 per martini for those who asked. They have a wine and beer menu, with other mixed drinks. 

The menu is from Pub fare to dinner, we started with Nachos, which were great, not so loaded with stuff that they made a mess, and on a generous platter enough for 4 people to eat and not be overly stuffed at that point. We all ordered dinners off the menu, we had chicken picatta, we had skirt steak, halibut and a pizza.  All generous portions, mine was great large piece of chicken with pasta and a light sauce.  We all split an amazing chocolate cake for dessert.  This is where it starts to get a little less posh.

We were escorted back to a back room with 2 bars, one had tables where you could socialize and then there was this long room with seats chair to chair for about 25 rows and there was a bar there also. You couldn’t move, this had to be against some fire code, all the seated rows were up against the wall, leaving only one way out to exit to the left. We were in the back and had a poor view of the stage seeing that it wasn’t that high.  After being packed in like sardines, the show was about to begin. The background story was really cute, and went through these 5 girls lives, with some great music.  I wish it was more a dinner theater atmosphere! The show has one 15 min intermission, and then you are escorted out through a grand foyer. It is an alternate lifestyle bar, so my suggestion would be to take the Girls out to Copley, Newbury, or if you want a sporty type venue North Station!

 All in all great show, good night, and this week I am a commuter to the City and back~

Tootles

The Boston Carrie

Intervention with a friend or leave it alone?

I have a friend, she worked for me before heading out to another company, that met this loser who I did not like from the first time he tried to break up with her 2 months after he started seeing her. Well, she is shy to a degree until you get to know her then she opens up. Now she thinks this is the best she can do and how life is going to be, hello news flash many more fish in the sea, you don’t live in an aquarium where there is a certain population.

How did she get herself here you ask, like many of us who think living together is a great thing. She had a great apt with cheap rent, but she lived alone, then some how she met this boob, and he lives with his mother. DING hello, Seinfeld episode here.  He and his mother work at the same company, this is getting errie now. Well he would come up to her place she would go down to his place etc. Then the day she was suppose to help me with a party, she is not here and not answering her cell phone either. So I continue on my party planning ways and text her, well finally she texts me back saying this boob is trying to break up with her for no reason just because he is afraid of commitment and it isn’t working out like he thought. Now this had been sight unseen at this point, so I did not know if he was some Adonis, but even then put your hand on your ass and good-bye. I will find someone who will treat me right, it might hurt or sting but damn I am a good catch. Not her, she sits there fighting with him, pleading this will work why are you doing this etc. In my book, NO I do not grovel, I put up a wall instead. So now she is not coming, to help me but will cover me at work.  Rule # 1 your friends will Always be your friends, Men come and go. Remember and repeat this to yourself.

I take this with a grain of salt, and move on finally I meet this boob and he is taller, scrawny, with big ears and braces. Have you ever seen Sid from Toy Story yeah he was the person. I meet him at a concert where I gave them the FREE TICKETS, we were to meet up to tailgate. You would think having given them free tickets you would say hello and stick around. Oh no had to go and see some friends that he found in the parking lot, don’t lie to me I know you knew they were coming he just didn’t  tell her.

Are we seeing how he plays the game, then she moves in with him and his mother, first of all she moved out of her house to get away from her mother why would you move in with him and his mother. Well, now she doesn’t have enough money, she needs another job, she is an hour away from work instead of 15 min. For what?

Here in lies my dilemma, do I tell her hey smarten the hell up you can do way better than him and his mother. I will help you find a place to live and move your stuff? Or should I listen and let her complain, no one told me this earlier I had to figure it out on my own, but you need to be happy with yourself and your life before you can have a great relationship with someone else.

It pains me to see her unhappy when she could suck it up, move into a good apt, find herself, yes being alone at home isn’t great but I can deal with it for now. I got myself into a routine that I do and am finding out what I really want from my life. She is 10 years younger than me, and has the same opportunities in men but she refuses to put herself out there she has no confidence in herself that I think is where we need to start.

Neighbors friend or foe?

Recently I had the best place to live, was there for at least 6 months and then I got the text that would change it all, Guess who is moving in below you Meeeeeeeeeeee!!!! It will be so great I just jumped at the opportunity, and with you upstairs what could be better?

Well I could think of a lot that could be better with this situation. I must say after touring some of the other apts, in my building on the upper west side of the burbs, mine had the most charm and at home charisma than the other apts in the building. I haven’ t been able to see what the out building behind us looks like but they are newer and don’t have the Victorian charm that this one does.  So now my cool factor just hit like a 5, in my rating system for this fact that I liked where I lived and  said hi to the neighbors but it wasn’t like they felt the need to knock on my door for tea or milk or something. 

I had experienced that before, we moved in to a second floor new apt, when I was with the boyfriend who shall remain nameless. This was to avoid the slum lord that we had as a previous landlord. ( when mouse sh*t ends up on your dinner plate in the cabinet! Time to move) This was brand new mouse free zone, perfect. Well they thought since it was their house they would come up to say hello, or invite us down for drinks. Before I knew it communal living was taking place where their kids were popping in to see if we wanted to play t-ball or have a bbq. Ugh~ what had I done, there was no privacy!

Then we had the condo situation where that seemed to be great your own place, no work everything is done. With strings attached, if you put out too many decoration Letter from the board. Too many people over not parked properly Letter from board with violation. Didn’t move your car in time to plow Snow Fine from the board. It was kind of like a nursing home since everyone there was older, and the younger people had children. We lived in the nosey section, our neighbors actually walked up to the back slider as we were redoing the condo. ( I have proof of footprints in the snow and confirmation from one neighbor) Then when spring came I didn’t even have the first shovel full of dirt before they were asking me what I was planting if I was doing a more involved landscape, container gardening? What the hell is a container garden I work for a living and don’t have time for this. So this was one of the final things that made me miserable which was a downward spiral and lead to me being unhappy and the end of the BF relationship.

Then I found my solstice, the Penthouse, quaint, cute, homey and I didn’t know the neighbors.  It was even better after meeting them I found out I knew 2 of them from my Ex-boyfriend, we said hello, there were no facebook requests or tweets. Then they move and BAM her we go. I got a few emails about if anyone had DSL or internet well, can we say I am not having you steal free internet, no all systems are locked in the  house. Who even asks that question wouldn’t you just take your computer and see first? So she was all budget concerned, ok I am conscious about that too but I wouldn’t budget any utility until I have lived there a year and seen if there is a need. She is a constant facebook updater also, this scared me a little since I don’t want to end up on her page.

She moves in and I was scare since I didn’t want to get roped in to helping with that either. I didn’t see her that much and she still would update so I can honestly say I knew exactly what was going on. She had told me of her failed marriage, and new guy she could never meet anyone good. Well seems a change is address is a change in karma, seeing she now has a boy toy shall we say that seems to visit quite often. Which is great and fine, but some of us don’t take every Wed,Thurs off to have a party at the house where you are loud until 11:30. I don’t even want to consider what goes on below me, but some of us sleep and go to the gym at 5:30 am. 

Here in lies the dilemma the other night I am obviously home and she sends me a message on facebook, that says sorry I missed your b-day, don’t know how I live below you. Great, that ended up on the Wall, grrrrr I like to use facebook as the social network not as the I just ate lunch at Spago type of thing. Which leaves me with this, is it better to be a neighbor that lives secretly and just says a casual hi, or to befriend your neighbor and gush about happenings?