Open Mic Night - Friend or Foe?

Mr. Bee and I went to an open mic night last night around the corner from our apartment on Friday night. Well, actually we were there for happy hour ($3 drafts) which morphed into open mic night.

At first we were into it, a fun 3 piece band with county-ish songs, they even did a cover of Prince's Kiss. It was entertaining and uplifting, but then it was all down hill from there....whiny, soft, quiet singers. No one was bad but it wasn't exactly an uplifting way to start a Friday night and no one was terribly different from anything you hear on the radio.

Maybe our attention span diminished as the bands / signers went on or maybe that's the nature of open mic night - kinda like getting high - nothing is as good as that first time.

I'm sure we'll end up there again though....did I mention the $3 draft happy hour :)

Don't Forget to Be Positive

Mr. Bee and I have been looking for an apartment for about a month now with no luck. Too small, too much, old building, etc, etc. This past Saturday before calling a guy about an apartment he said "I'm just gonna call this place even though it's gonna suck and we are not going to live there". I reminded him to be positive and it turns out it worked!

The place was amazing and even has a balcony and jacuzzi tub! The best part is that it's ours! We sign the lease on Friday and are moving in this weekend. I can't wait! Hopefully I am not jinxing us right now and something unexpected happens between now and Friday.

Just goes to show you - always be positive and it will work out!

What am I supposed to do with "Save the Date" Magnets?

Last night I was taking all the magnets off my refrigerator and throwing out old coupons, etc. I was being really productive until I came across the "Save the Date" magnets left over from this year's wedding season.

I came to a dead halt and wondered what I was supposed to do with them. I don't need to save the date any more, I don't want to throw my friends in the trash, but I also don't want to look at their face every time I need to grab the milk.

None of them are particularly creative or interesting so I think they are all going in the trash unless the magnet is of really good quality. What would you do? Maybe I should write into one of those advice columns. :)

Maybe I'll do Halloween this Year

I've never been a big fan of Halloween, even when I was younger. I think partly because the houses were too far apart in my neighborhood to go trick-or-treating and I was always cold and usually wanted to go home the second I went outside.

Mr. Bee and I haven't gone out for Halloween since 2004 or something like that. He wor a suit with a George Bush pin and talked in an uptight voice all night....he was a Republican. We lived in SF at the time so it was pretty funny, plus if you knew what Mr. Bee looked like, it's pretty much the opposite of the stereotypical Republican.

I dressed in a white, shirt and pants. Attached a large, oval, yellow piece of felt to my shirt, threw on devil horns, a tail, and of course red pumps. Don't know what I was?....a Deviled Egg of course :)

I think if I had to dress up this year I think I would just buy a ready made Wonder Woman costume....maybe Mr. Bee could be the FroZone from The Incredibles, now that would be funny.

I've never been this excited about a bank

I just read on Wachovia's / Wells Fargo's site that all Wachovia branches will be turning into Wells Fargo stores over the next few months and I can't tell you how excited I am! When Mr. Bee and I lived in California we had Wells Fargo and when we moved back to East Coast we had to let them go since there were no branches :(

We never felt like Wells Fargo was screwing us so I'm excited to take them back.

I know, what a lame blog post, but I love 'em!

Too busy? Throw a Dinner Party

Oh man have we been busy! Weddings are over, but there's still an endless amount of things to do. To celebrate not having a wedding to go to what did we do? Had a dinner party of course!

We didn't make anything terribly creative, but it was delicious (except for the "red wine gravy" Mr. Bee attempted. There was no saving that concoction.)

Our menu consisted of red wine marinaded roast, homemade perogies, spinach, and butternut squash soup.

If you have a blender, butternut squash soup is the easiest thing in the world to make. Just simmer chopped squash in chicken broth, remove, puree, and add it back to the broth. I will definitely be adding this recipe to weekday dinners.

Don't spend money on store bought soup, make it yourself!

Have you ever tried intenSati?

I took a Cardio Blast Xpress class at the gym the other night. I was expecting the usually aerobics, but instead got an introduction to intenSati.

"Inten" derives from "intention", and "sati" is a Pali word which means "mindfulness" and the workout combines high-energy aerobics, martial arts, yoga, and more. But wait that's not it...there's also spoken affirmations. The class was a little apprehensive at first when the teacher explained this and even more apprehensive when we were yelling "I want it I want it, I really, really want it" while doing a chest pumping movement.

But.....

By the end of the class I totally loved it and was saying the positive affirmations all weekend which is way better than having Tardy for the Party stuck in your head.

It was a great workout, can't wait for one this week!

Lolcats to the Rescue

Whenever I need a pick me up I can always count on Lolcats. This site never gets old. These pics also make me laugh and make me want to go home and hangout with MonkeyCat. This pic makes me feel sleepy. Mr. Bee always makes fun of me but I could look at this site all day...and giggle!

You Can't Go Wrong with a T-Shirt

So Mr. Bee doesn't buy this own clothes. I think I have bought every article of clothing for him since we have been together, minus a pair of Army cargo shorts he bought at a Surplus Store, and that was only out of desperation during an NYC heat wave.

One of my favorite places to by tees for him is Threadless.com. Super fun, unique designs that don't cost $40 plus they are soft and comfortable. Take that UrbanOutfitters, American Apparel and any other store that sells ridiculously overpriced tees!

If price isn't a good enough reason to love them, Threadless tees also make me feel good because all the designs are made by various artists and you can buy prints to dress your walls. This one makes me particularly feel good. Who doesn't love a hug?

Sweet Moves that will Never Die

We've been listening to Backspin on SiriusXM the last few days in the office and it's taking all of my strength to remain professional.

I must stay at my desk otherwise I risk spontaneously busting out the butterfly. Yeah, you remember it, don't act like you don't know.

Don't forget about The Dip and The Tootsie Roll. Thank goodness I have a few more weddings this season where I can show off these sweet, newly remembered moves.

Make an Appointment to See Mom & Popism

A few weeks back Mr. Bee and hiked the 5 flights (or maybe it was 7, all I know is that my thighs were burnin'!) up to the Gawker rooftop to check out the mom & popism art show. Definitely worth the trek. My favorites are above.

The thing I love most about all of the pieces is the strange reality it creates. Kind of like when you watch Who Framed Roger Rabbit. There's real people, objects and cartoons. Everything seems totally out of place, but at the same time perfectly normal.

I'm no art critic, but if you like NYC and/or graffiti check it out. I believe there are a few panels at Clic Gallery, but can also check out some pics here or watch the below video.

Movies with the Mom

Mr. Bee and I are going to visit his mother this weekend and since it's horrible weather (Thanks Hurricane Danny) we're taking her to the movies. I have no idea what to see. Here's what I've come up with after looking at the local listings:

I can't imagine her sitting through these:

• G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra
• Inglourious Basterds
  
• Halloween II (I can't watch this either or Mr.Bee will be forced to sleep with the light on)
  
• Taking Woodstock

She might shock us and want to see one of these:

• District 9
• The Final Destination
  

I am hoping these don't make it to her list:

• Shorts
• Ponyo (well, maybe I'd see this)
• The Goods: Live Hard * Sell Hard (I'm on the fence about this one. I think I'll wait til it comes out on DVD.)
• Post Grad (DVD rental for sure)

My bets are on the following:

• Julie & Julia
• The Time Traveler's Wife
• (500) Days of Summer
  

Fingers crossed for Julie & Julia. Sorry, Mr. Bee I think you're going to end up watching a chick flick.

Black Eyed Peas - Not the Singing Kind

Mr. Bee is making his specialty for dinner tonight and I am so excited. As we speak (blog) black eyed peas are doing there thing in the crock pot. Besides being delicious, I love black eyed peas because - it's a simple recipe, yields lunch and dinner for a about a week for 2 people, and costs less than $10! Give it a shot!

Ingredients:

• 1 bag of dry, black eyed peas
• 1 onion
• Smoked turkey legs (you can pretty much use any smoked meat you'd like or omit it)
• Water
• Olive Oil
  
• Bay leaves, Salt, Pepper
• Rice

Directions:

Put the beans in a container, cover with water and soak overnight. In the morning, drizzle a little olive oil in the bottom of the crock pot, add chopped onion, and a few bay leaves. Place the smoked turkey legs in next and then add the beans after you've drained them from the water they soaked in. Next, add about 4 quarts of water or until everything is covered. Throw some salt and pepper in and put the lid on. Set the crock pot to 6-8 hours. It's usually done before then so check the beans during the last few hours if you can.

Serve over rice and don't forget the Frank's Red Hot Sauce!

It's true I used to work on a farm

I recently visited the farm I worked at in High School. Well, I didn't actually do farm work per se, but I worked in the ice cream shop...still it's hard work.

I've been to a million farmer's markets in the city, but nothing compares to going to a farm stand. There's an unmistakable feeling of hard work and craftiness. Maybe it has something to do with the fields being right there. I love talking to the people who cared for the gardens and picked everything for us to enjoy. My old boss, now friend showed me all of the beautiful quilts she's been working on or completed and I am in complete awe. She's also made these amazing tote bags which would totally sell for over $100 in the city. I was hoping she'd give me one :)

The farm was actually featured in Hudson River Valley Farms: The People and the Pride behind the Produce which is really exciting, and of course I bought one.

I am so inspired by all of the people that work at Tantillo's Farm in NY and can only wish the basil plant in my window or the half finished crafts under my bed could amount to a fraction of what they are able to accomplish.

Top 5 Cheap Dates

Times are tough, but that doesn't mean you can't date. Here are the Top 5 things Mr. Bee and I like to do that don't give us buyer's remorse (#5 being our favorite)

1. Packed lunch/dinner in the park. We're lucky that we are close to a park even though we live in a city.
2. Matinee movie followed by street vendor food for dinner/late lunch. Just cause it's sold on the street doesn't mean it's not delicious.
   
3. Staying at home with wine/beer playing unisex friendly video games. Some of our favorites are Little Big Planet and Super Katamari. Girly, but cool enough for the guys.
   
4. Subway ride to Coney Island for Nathan's hot dogs. The subway ride is always entertaining, I could ease drop and people watch for hours.
5. Laundry night! One day a week, we pack up the laundry, go to the laundromat, throw the clothes in the washer and head over to the dive bar down the block for some CLs (Coors Lights). Hey! We're on a budget so don't splurge for the good stuff :)

Laundry night is my favorite because the bar is entertainingly dysfunctional (I am sure there will be a future post about this) and we're getting chores done while "dating".

Pork and Black Bean Salad = The Cure for Monday Night Dinner

Last night I had 2 problems I needed to cure in order to make dinner for Mr. Bee and I:

1. What to eat on a hot summer night that won't make the apartment warmer than it already is
2. What to do with small cuts of pork that won't dry them out
3. My fridge was almost empty and I only had a few ingredients to choose from
   

Inspired by a recent black bean salad recipe I read in a cook book, I came up with Cajun Grilled Pork over black bean salad and mixed greens.

Ingredients:

• Small cuts of pork
• Cajun seasoning
• Mixed greens
• 1 can of black beans
• 1 tomato (diced)
  
• Corn
  
• Quarter of a lemon
  
• Olive oil
• Salt, Pepper, Garlic Powder, Onion Powder

First, I rubbed the Cajun seasoning into the pork with a little bit of Olive Oil and let it rest while I made the black bean salad. Just rinse the beans and put them in a bowl with the corn and tomato. I only had frozen corn so I heated it up in the microwave and chilled it slightly in the fridge before adding. Squeeze the lemon over everything and add some olive oil along with salt, pepper, garlic and onion powder. I have no idea how much of everything I put in so season to taste. Mix it altogether and place in the fridge until ready to serve.

Throw the pork on the George Foreman for 6-8 minutes and then let rest on a cutting board. I always seem to overcook pork on a skillet or oven, but the George Foreman is the right man for the job as long as I take the pork off in time. Put some mixed greens on a plate, spoon the black bean salad over the top and once the pork has rested, cut it into strips and add on top of the black bean salad for easy consumption.

It was so delicious, filling, and light! Next time I think I'll add fresh cilantro or green onions to the black bean salad.