Mindless Friday

I'm just tired of thinking. Is that bad? Yeah, probably. I'm getting a mini break tonight as Jed and I will be heading into Boston (holla!) to raise our glasses to a friend from college who is bidding Boston adieu and moving back to her home state of Maryland.

To kick of the relaxation, I'm posting another Fill in the Blank Friday, courtesy of Lauren at the little things we do. Head on over to link up!

1.  A very nostalgic place that reminds me of being a kid is    My grandmother's house. We went there almost every weekend when I was growing up, and I usually spent a week during the summer there, so I spent a lot of my childhood there .

2.  If someone really wants to show me how much they love me      they should be thoughtful. I really appreciate the little things, and they made me feel so loved... like the night last week Jed cooked dinner because I just didn't feel like it  .

3.  Lately I've been wondering a lot about    my life and where it's heading .

4.  When it comes to saving money I am       trying and struggling. I almost feel like I don't have enough income to support myself and what I want (yes, I already have a second job)  .

5.  I'd prefer     travel    over    real life    any day! 

6.  I wish I knew how to make      my own clothes. Instead of hitting the mall to find the perfect dress or top, it'd be awesome to just be able to make it   .

7.  I'm just waiting for      my next vacation! Some people live for the weekends; I live for travel     .

I'm wishing you all a weekend of relaxation. What is your favorite thing to do when you just want to chill out?

This is just disgusting, but let's not rush it.

I've posted about this before, but this is the first news I've seen or heard in a while, so I thought I would speak out on it.

Oil is still gushing out of the BP Deepwater Horizon well in the Gulf of Mexico, after three months of so-called officials and experts debating like dummies. THREE MONTHS. I find it almost impossible to believe that NO ONE has been able to resolve this issue in three months. That is one whole fiscal quarter, people! Down the drain... literally. That is disgusting. Why was this thing even built and put into production if we didn't know how to STOP it? Such a classic case of a company rushing forward without thinking.

The latest news is BP has developed a cap for the well with three shutoff valves, which will be shut one-by-one while the pressure in the well and against the cap is evaluated. Sounds like a good plan to me, but the US government wanted to hold off until some additional research was conducted. The concern? The pressure in the well would cause another, and possibly worse, leak.

For once, I'm agreeing. This was a valid concern, and I'm glad someone actually stopped to consider the consequences before taking action. Kudos to the US!

Now, let's cross our fingers and say our prayers that this cap works. Even if only a valve or two can be closed off, the remaining leaking oil can be siphoned by ships on the surface.

Sound off: What do you think about the government holding BP back while the cap solution was thoroughly investigated? What do you think about the whole Deepwater Horizon situation in general? Have you felt any effects where you are?

{Image via TODAYshow.com}

This post was inspired by:

Prompt #1: Choose a headline from The Today Show website and write up an opinion post based on the story you chose.

A wee bit of me...

I'm sorry, but I cannot remember through whose blog I found this lovely feature, so if you're reading this, you know I read your blog, and you participate in a week bit of me Wednesdays, please let me know!

 

Anywho, I found this feature through one of the amazing blogs I read, and I found Leigh Ashley, and I thought this would be a good post for me to do every so often. So, here we are! If you are going to play along, of course let me know, but you can also link up on Leigh Ashley's blog (click the button below).

 

 {one} do you believe in ghosts?
 Not in the traditional sense, but I believe in angels.

{two} are you more of a talker or more of a listener?
 Talker, although I really wish I was more of a listener, and I'm working on that.

{three} would you rather get up early or sleep late?
Sleep late, no doubt, but not so late that I feel like I wasted the day.

{four} if you could instantly become an expert at one type of dance, what type would you choose?
 This is tough for me because I am a dancer, and I can, and have, done so many different types of dance. If I had to pick one, I think I'd go with contemporary/lyrical because it always challenged me when I used to dance, it's the form I most enjoy watching, and I think it's the form that most touches people.

{five} what's your favorite drink?
 Probably tea, iced and hot, of all varieties. When it comes to alcohol, I almost always stick to my three: beer, wine, vodka.

{six} if your house caught fire and you could only grab three things, what would they be?
 My laptop, my photo albums and my jewelry (because it has sentimental value)... while shooing my dog out the door.

{seven} if you could only visit one restaurant for the next five years, which would it be?
 The Red Parrot in Newport, RI, because they have everything on their menu.

{eight} who inspires you the most?
My best friend because she got it right: career, marriage, life. She's kind, generous, honest, funny, patient and happy -- all traits I want to have.

{nine} if you had your own talk show, who would your first three guests be?
Julia Roberts, Jennifer Weiner, Tom Brady

{ten} sneakers or sandals?
Sandals. I'm a beach gal at heart, and my feet love to be free.

What makes a perfect summer weekend?

Hello lovelies! How are you? Did you have a lovely summer weekend? Do tell me the favorite thing you did or the highlight.

My highlight was my impromptu shopping trip with my mother. She was in my neck of the woods Saturday morning to get her hair cut, so she stopped by my house, and we headed to the Wrentham Outlets. 

My mission was to go to Cost Cutters for my leave-in conditioner spray, but I also checked out the new Vera Bradley outlet and got a new bag (everything is about half price of any other Vera retailer, and it is huge!), picked out some new sunglasses at the Fossil outlet, and found a cute top and linen pants at the Gap Outlet (remember Mom gets a discount!). All-in-all, a productive trip! And, I spend less than $100! 

Vera Little Betsy in Bali Blue, $29 at outlet

We just beat the pouring rain and came back to my house for PB&J sandwiches.

The rest of my weekend in a nutshell:

• Jed made me dinner Friday night because I didn't feel like cooking.

• Saturday night keg party.

• Lazy Sunday afternoon.

• Sunday evening cookout with friends, complete with s'mores.

To me, that was pretty much the perfect summer weekend. The only thing that could have made it better was a lazy Sunday afternoon on the beach.

{Images via we heart it and kaboodle respectively}

What does forever young smell like?

I know, I come back to blogging, and I write two posts in one day! I had to share this though, and I wanted to catalog it for myself.

I just received a tiny sample of Philosophy's Eternal Grace fragrance in the mail today. I wish I had known I was going to love it, and I would have saved it for AFTER I showered today so I could wear it out!

Philosophy describes this scent as a timeless fragrance that is youthful and uplifting. I'm with them on the timeless, but I think it's more sophisticated and classic than youthful. I'm not one for citrus fragrances, but this one mixes well with the floral undertones, and it works on me!

I've never purchased a Philosophy product, but I just might have to snag this scent when it comes out! You can check out the collection on Philosophy's site.

{Image via Philosphy}

Making my way back with a fill-in-the-blank Friday

Wow, I have missed being here! *deep sigh* I haven't had much time over the past two weeks to update the blog, but now that I'm here, I realize that I haven't totally felt like myself without posting. This is a piece of me -- part of my figurative home -- and I'm not quite sure when or how that happened!

I hope to get back on a regular posting schedule. What that will look like going forward, I'm not quite sure of yet. Some of the weekly features may be leaving or changing, and I'm hoping to get out some new and different content.

All I know for sure is it's good to be back here, and I hope to keep coming back!

So, let's get to the fun. As I'm sure many of you know, Lauren at the little things we do hosts fill-in-the-blank Fridays every other Friday, and I love playing along! If you want to join the fun, you can click over to Lauren's blog to grab the blanks and link up your post. I'd love for you to let me know if you do so I can come check out your blanks!

1.  My favorite thing about this week has been     my central air in this heat wave! Seriously, learning the ropes in my new job. I got a new job! I still work for the same company, but now I am in the marketing department handling internal communication, which represents a huge career step for this writer and communications guru. I couldn't be happier, although that's what's been keeping me away from all of you the past couple weeks .

2.  The weather this week has been      HOT! I'll second that, Lauren! Monday was oppressive outside - 95 and humid - and Tuesday was even worse! I think we were at a 105 heat index. This weekend we're supposed to be getting cooling rain .

3.  The last (interesting) item I received in the mail was    the Yankee Candles I ordered from the annual sale online  .

4.  The last movie I saw was       The A-Team. I wasn't quite sure what to expect going in (I watched the show, but I was, like, three at the time), but I really enjoyed it! It was the perfect mix of action/comedy  .

5.  If I could be doing anything I felt like today I would     not be working and laying on the beach reading a book. It's the perfect beach day. Ok, all week has been perfect beach days because it's been too hot to be anywhere else outside .

6.  As a teenager I was    such an angst-ridden drama queen. I kinda want to vomit a little when I think about how much harder I made life for myself  .

7.  I wish I could trade lives for the day with    Oprah. I'm dying to know what a day in her life is like. It must be incredible   .

Have a great weekend! I'll be attending a legitimate keg party tomorrow (yes, I have not been to one of those since college, should be interesting), and we'll be having dinner with friends, possibly, tonight and Sunday night. Looking forward to a fun weekend with fun people!

Review of Dan Brown's "The Lost Symbol"

The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Like Brown's previous Langdon novels, "The Lost Symbol" is a page-turner. It kept me in suspense chapter by chapter, and there were nights I had trouble putting it down. However, the ending - the last eight chapters or so - was slow and dragged out. I feel Brown could have concluded long before he did. His strength is suspense and puzzlement, not descriptive, poetic prose.

View all my reviews