Dear Beau,
I'm writing this in the hopes that it will be therapeutic for me, and in the hopes that somehow these words will reach you outside of the cyber world (but, judging by your Facebook page, maybe you're tech savvy enough to see it here).
I miss you.
Sunday seemed so surreal. I had just finished dropping off Damien at his dorm (remember him? You loved him when he came to visit this summer, I was totally surprised at your reaction) when I remembered Dad had texted me earlier that morning asking me to call him, so I called the house right away. Mom picked up, and her voice sounded so weak and foreign, and my earlier thoughts about Dad texting me "to talk" because I was in trouble for something, vanished...I knew it was something else. Mom asked where I was and I said I was driving, and she asked me if I could pull over and talk, so I pulled into the parking lot across from Damien's dorm. She kept saying "um" and sounded nervous, nothing at all like her loud, straight-to-the-point typical way of speaking. She asked what my plans were for the day and I said I had to work at 4, but to just get on with it and tell me what was up. She kept hesitating, and I could hear her voice breaking as she stumbled to get the words out to me, "Dad and I think...we think...um...we think we need to put Beau down".
I almost dropped the phone.
I'd been trying to prepare myself for this call for months, knowing that at over a hundred years old you were just getting tired. I began sobbing and told Mom that I would immediately call work and come home, I would be there for you and for her and for me. We hung up and shock and total agony hit me. I texted Damien saying I needed to come back inside and see him immediately. I ran across the parking lot, my glasses fogging up with hot tears in the cold air and ran up the stairs, tripping once, to the second floor. As soon as he opened the door I collapsed into him, sobbing, and he kept yelling, "Alyssa! Oh God, what's wrong! What happened?!" And I couldn't even catch my breath enough to tell him. Fighting through tears I told him what Mom had said, and I could feel him holding my body up from collapsing onto the floor. He put me on the bed and held me as I convulsed with tears, thinking that you weren't ready yet, it was too soon, and I hadn't had enough time with you while I've been away at school. After twenty minutes of me shaking and Damien trying to console me, I knew I had to go home and face you.
I drove shakily back to my apartment to change, and I didn't make it farther than my bed, where I just lay down and held the stuffed animal puppy Damien gave me, and cried. I called Ella and told her what was happening, I knew she would know what to say and what to do- and in fifteen minutes there was an unexpected knock at my front door, and Ella and Lauren were standing there, taking me into their arms, both knowing exactly what I was going through. Their presence calmed me and their words consoled me, they had both suffered the pain that I was feeling and knew that I wouldn't be able to handle it alone. After they left I lay down again, thinking about what I would do when I got home.
I finally mustered up the strength to throw on slightly more than pajamas, get in my car, and drive home. I cried the whole way home, knowing what I had to face when I got there. Danica texted me when I was about twenty minutes away saying, "hurry the fuck home, i can't do this alone". I couldn't do it alone either.
When I pulled into the house I felt this overwhelming sense of dread, sadness, and happiness. It was a beautiful day, you're favorite kind of days- maybe equal to fresh snowfall. I got out of the car and Dad was standing on the deck, and he waved me up there, gesturing that you were up there too. I walked slowly up the brick path, barely lifting my knees, the definition of a trudge. As soon as I saw you, I began crying, which I'm sure you remember because you looked straight at me when I got up the stairs. Mom came out and hugged me, and then Danica. I walked over to you and put my face really close to yours and said "I love you" and then I went to the bathroom and cried while you lay there enjoying a perfect fall day.
The last food I got to share with you and sneak to you, like we always did, was Mom's homemade Italian Wedding Soup. I'm glad it got to be that, because it's a close second to Chickarina, which we all know you had a love for. Dad said he gave you bacon, eggs, and toast for breakfast, and Mom said she gave you vanilla ice cream, and Danica supplied a wide variety of treats. That, along with two great walks with Mom and Dad, gave me solace knowing you had a beautiful last day.
When Dad said it was time to go to the doctor's, my heart stopped. We all solemnly went outside and got in the car, and it was like you knew what was coming and you were happy we were all there and that you would finally be able to rest. The fifteen minute drive felt like two hours, and I got car-sick along the way, my brain and body feeling hundreds of emotions swirling inside. As soon as we got out of the car, you and Dad took the lead while Danica linked her arm with mine and we burst into tears. I didn't care if the nurses were all staring at us, making a scene walking in- I was glad there were no other patients there. Sitting with you in the waiting room felt like an eternity and I couldn't hold myself together enough to be strong for you, I'm sorry I cried so much.
The doctor finally brought you back in with the catheter, ready when we were. I hate needles too, so I felt you discomfort when you whined with it stuck in you like that. She said she would first administer a sedative, to calm you down, and then give you the final medicine, and I could feel the snot and tears rolling down my face. As soon as she put the sedative in, I could see you struggle at first, uncomfortable I'm sure, but then your body relaxed as Mom, Dad, Danica, and I held you. Watching Dad cry like that was one of the hardest things I've ever seen, do you ever remember him crying before? I can't really, although I'm sure it's happened. Finally, she injected the last medicine and checked for your heartbeat. Mom stayed with you until the last second, but she had to leave, she couldn't take the pain. I put my head on top of yours and kissed you and told you I loved you so much, that I would always love you. And then when I pulled back and realized that you wouldn't be able to respond to me like you always had for thirteen years, my heart stopped. A sob, and maybe throw-up, welled up in my throat and I ran out of the room hysterical. I'm sure we all made quite a scene in that hospital. I ran outside where Mom was, standing under a tree. A few minutes later Dad and Danica came out, sobbing and red-faced, shaking. I was miserable driving back to school that night, knowing my brother was gone.
You weren't just a friendly pet to me. You provided us with protection when Dad traveled, companionship while Mom worked from home. You were mediator when Mom and I fought in my junior high years, running back and forth between the two of us, and pawing our knees when our voices got too loud, licking our faces when the angry tears came rolling down. You loved playing dress up, and allowed Danica and I to put our clothes on you and take pictures, such a good sport. When our house got robbed right after we bought you, rather than run away (like we would have expected) you were sitting in the front yard when Mom got home from work. You let us tell you our deepest secrets, and with a tail wag let us know we weren't crazy or bad people. You helped us sing "Happy Birthday" right up to your nineties, when the pitch just got too high for you- do you know everyone would save the voice-mails we would leave them with you singing? You were a star in our eyes. You kept us healthy, a husky like you taking us on long walks through your favorite Wildflower Trail at Beaver Brook, and you took yourself on long walks when you ran away twice and gave us heart attacks. You checked on us while we were sleeping- I remember so many times being on the verge on falling asleep, and you would paw open my door, walk over to the bed, stare at me, and walk out, just to check. You helped us unwrap presents, shovel snow, rake leaves, plant flowers...oh wait, no you didn't, you would lay down on the wrapping paper or walk across it and consequentially rip it with your nails, you attacked our gloves when it snowed, buried yourself in the mounds that Dad would make with the truck, you rolled in the leaves and scattered the piles, and you slept on the flowers Mom planted, or dug them up. You were a brightness in our lives that cannot be replaced. Everyone who met you loved you and saw how beautiful, excuse me, handsome, you were. You're fluffy tail and the white streak across your thick, fluffy neck, you were definitely the best looking in the family.
I'll miss everything about you.
You were always loyal, protective, loving, and you put us first. You stayed around a lot longer than you probably should have for a big dog like you, but you loved us so you stuck it out. You're irreplaceable in our hearts, but I hope someday we can rescue another dog like you who needs us, maybe your spirit will be inside him or her a little bit.
I hope you are romping through valleys, meadows, forests, streams (but staying away from the ocean because the waves scare you a little) and examining leaves and rocks and smelling flowers like Ferdinand. I know you're there with Buggsy, Chicago, Nina (Peyton's dog, she's great, you will love her) and and meeting new dogs who had to finally fall asleep for good. I hope your spirit will come visit me when I need you, please keep a watchful brown eye on me.
All dogs go to heaven.
(And I hope they have bacon, steak fat, Chickarina, scrambled eggs, American cheese, vanilla ice cream, crusty Italian bread, and all your other favorite foods, including grass)
Beau, you'll be in my heart and soul forever.
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
denver
Whenever I travel, for whatever reason, I am always in awe that
there are people who live in totally different ways than me (shocker) even
within the U.S. This past week I accompanied my dad to Denver, Colorado, where
the shoe company would be part of a huge event called WESA- Western and English
Sales Association. The main reason I went along for the trip was because
my dad tore his rotator cuff falling off a ladder in a coal mine in Pennsylvania...typical.
But I would have taken any excuse just to travel and get paid
for it. At the event, hundreds of companies travel to Denver and rent
showrooms to display their boots, belts, turquoise and silver
jewelry, cowboy hats, jeans, and semen.....semen? Yes. The highest-grade,
finest, Bull semen- bought and sold to produce even more ideal cows for meat
production (among other things). I wasn't sure what to expect going out there,
but large quantities of bull semen didn't cross my mind. We flew out from
Boston on at 6:45am flight (meaning a limo came to our house at 4am...lord help
me) and made it to Denver four hours later. It was beautiful out- sunny and
clear, almost 60 degrees, so off came the well-worn cashmere sweater my dad had
given me. There wasn't any snow on the ground, which surprised me, and almost
everyone was wearing cowboy boots. We jumped in our rental car and drove
fifteen minutes into the heart of Denver, to the Hotel Monaco- another pet
friendly hotel like the one I stayed at in New York this summer! The Hotel was
funky and elegant with a touch of western- rustic wooden furniture with a huge
chandelier in the middle of the lobby and a crackling fireplace with plush
armchairs around it. After leaving our luggage with the bellhop, we drove out
to Morrison, where the famous Red Rocks Amphitheater is located- I could
only imagine how amazing seeing Dave Matthews Band (a regular performer there)
would be.
Morrison is a small town nestled beneath the mountains, its main street being less than a half-mile long and filled with little antique shops and a few aged diners. The people I met in the shops were so easygoing and warm, asking us about the huge ice storm we had a few years ago and the snow storms the northeast is known for. That night we went to dinner at the restaurant attached to the hotel, Panzano- an award winning Italian restaurant. The food was unbelievable- for an appetizer we got the Formaggio Bianco (house made cheese with fresh thyme and wildflower honey on a walnut wheat crostini) which was delicious. For my meal I got the Inverno Verdi, which was radicchio, frisee, Grana Padano, green apple, olive oil and balsamic, unbelievably delicious. The next day we got up early to go to a....stock show- The National Western Stock Show, $8 a ticket and as many goats, sheep, bulls, beef jerky, Coors Light, and Jim Beam the eye could see. We went so that my dad could get some pictures for the western brands the company makes- Double H Boots, Sonora, Corcoran, and Carolina. There were bulls weighing over 1000 lbs., awards for best sheep hair, and little girls strutting around in the most bedazzled, glamorous jeans, and dirty cowboy boots leading their prized goats around the pens. It smelled like poop, fried dough, and women with pungent perfumes- all in all not the best combination. It amazed me that this was their way of life- these little girls did their makeup, curled their hair, and put on their favorite outfits all to go to the stock show, it was crazy.
After leaving the show, we went to the
oldest restaurant in Denver- The Buckhorn Exchange. The walls were covered with
taxidermy animals- and by covered, I mean literally covered....there wasn't
space for anything else. I learned what Rocky Mountain Oysters were; I wasn't
thrilled and did not want to go near them. I ate Elk there, accidentally. It
was a very strange experience overall, but it was cool to see a part of history
in the city! That night we ended up in Larimer Square, a small street that
was reminiscent of Fanueil Hall in Boston. The city had draped white
lights above the street lamps so it had a magical, surreal feel- a very
beautiful effect. A man working in a hat-shop suggested we try Russell's
Smokehouse, a speakeasy tucked away under the guise of a pie shop- so cool. We
found the pie shop, opened the doors, and found ourselves in a dimly lit
restaurant with black and white floors and teal ceilings. The wait staff was
all wearing flannel shirts with denim aprons and a great mix of music played
over the speakers, adding to whole mysterious, hip, vintage vibe of the place.
Sadly, after our late lunch at the Buckhorn, we both only got salads. Mind you,
the salads were huge and I could eat Iceberg Wedge Salads every day,
but this smokehouse boasted delicious meats, so we decided to come back the
next night too.
The next day was the big WESA show. I
got dressed that morning thinking that the outfit I brought for that day was
professional and dressy enough for this show, an outfit that I would have
definitely worn to the showroom in NYC- but I was wrong. Not completely wrong,
I was dressed very well, but I lacked one thing that everyone else there was
wearing- cowboy boots. Alligator boots, snakeskin boots, ostrich boots,
beautifully crafted, unbelievable cowboy boots that everyone wearing a dress,
suit and tie, or slacks, had paired with their outfit- my high heels were not
cutting it. After I assisted my dad with the lighting during the runway show,
the rest of the day went by pretty slowly, because unlike the shows in New York
where we take pictures of shoes while buyers come in, these boots had already
been photographed, so it was simply a day for the buyers to come in and haggle
with the salespeople. It was very interesting hearing the buyer’s opinions on
the new boots and new women's line, Sonora. The buyers invited to the unveiling
of the line were very tight-lipped when the CEO turned to them after the runway
show and asked their opinion, but once he was one-on-one with them (away from
their competition) they opened right up and gushed about certain colors and
textures, and suggested different patterns and heel-heights for other styles. After
we finally left the show, starving, we headed back to Russell's Smokehouse for
some actual meat the second time around. For an appetizer, we got the Confit
Chicken Wings....fall off the bone chicken; the sauce was perfect, melt in your
mouth deliciousness.
< I dare you not to drool. And for my meal, I got Pulled Pork on a Brioche roll with sweet potato fries and goat cheese creamed spinach- delicious comfort food with amazing taste>
Denver was a very different city than
any other I've visited- and I wouldn't call myself a world traveler, but there
was a very different feel here than other cities. It's a combination of things-
eco-oriented, earthy, urban, western, fashionable, dirty, and modern.
Definitely somewhere I would want to visit again so that maybe this time I
could take advantage of the insane skiing...and maybe try Rocky Mountain
Oysters? (Not)
Monday, November 28, 2011
bottle service?
You know the music videos of rappers sitting in exclusive clubs at VIP tables, poppin' champagne, nodding their head to the thumping music? That was the vision for my friend Jodi's 21st birthday. Except the reality was that it was 8 girls, 2 boyfriends, and a mere fifth of Grey Goose (which cost us a cool $350) in a not-so-VIP table.
Jodi set this birthday event up a few weeks back- inviting all the girls, saying that she spoke to Club Royale in Boston and that she had bought a VIP table where we would get our own waitress and a huge bottle of Grey Goose, as well as stay in a hotel room a short taxi ride away- all for $60. Obviously we were all in. She had gone to a friend's birthday a few weeks before, at the club actually downstairs from Royale, called Gilt, and said that it was insane- hence, why she wanted to do the same for her birthday! So, we all got work off, planned rides, and drove down to Boston last Friday night. Alexis and I made astonishing time (35 min...perhaps we were speeding?), proceeded to get lost in South Boston, went through two (not one, two) "DO NOT ENTER" signs, and finally made it to the hotel. Checked in, changed, and Jodi's boyfriend made us delicious mixed drinks to get the night going. When everyone finally made it, we had the hotel call us 2 cabs and we made our way to Tremont Street. Because of our VIP status (brush-dirt-off-shoulder) we were able to cut the line...to where 2 huge bouncers stood, checking ID's. Almost immediately, they turned away one of the girls in our group who was using a fake ID- she began to make a scene, so Alexis and I just ran inside to let someone else handle it. Once inside the lobby, more security shooed us up the grand staircase to the next level, where others from our group were waiting- including a distraught Jodi, who was being told by management that because we were missing people from our group, we'd be charged an extra $180 per person....what? Obviously Jodi and Tommy began to put up a fight. We'd already paid $480 for the table/bottle service, why would we pay any more? After finally getting our way, the girl with the fake had to take a taxi back to the hotel (sad, but isn't that the risk you have to take?) and we proceeded to go up yet another staircase. The club was originally an old theater- they had kept the mahogany staircases, gilded wall fixtures, chandeliers, and red velvet curtains, and the overall effect was quite beautiful- especially for a nightclub! We went up another staircase (no gym needed apparently) and were brought to our VIP table- a long bench on a balcony overlooking the dance floor below, where apparently VIP tables down there cost $5,000 (oh you fancy huh?) We threw our coats down, had Tommy take four pictures of us (unsuccessful because my camera is awesome) and we waited for our waitress to come over. After waiting a good 10 minutes, she finally showed up...holding a fifth of Grey Goose. Immediately, Jodi told her that when she'd made the reservation she'd been promised a "big, huge, over-sized bottle" of vodka, not a fifth that we could buy at the liquor store. The woman- who's boobs were all up in our faces- explained that this is what we were getting, but if we'd like to order another bottle she'd be mooooreeee than happy to provide us with one. "Okay, how much?" "$350." "Are you fucking kidding me?" "I know, it's a little over-priced...." Seriously? A fifth is $40 at the liquor store...an extra $310 seems reasonable, right? Thoroughly pissed off, we asked her to please just pour us drinks. After pouring the 10 of us mixed drinks, the bottle was about 3/4 gone...already. And the weird part was, she didn't leave the bottle at the table with us- but instead kept taking it away and then would bring it back every 15 minutes to see if we wanted more. Ummmm why can't you just leave it? We don't need you and your boobs assistance pouring it, thanks. Realizing that everyone was feeling a little discouraged about the situation, Alexis and I decided that if we'd driven to the city, spent $60, and gotten dressed up, we were going to have a good night- so it was off to the dance floor.
Sketchball city.
Legitimately hundreds of duded gyrating their hips in the hopes that one "lucky" girl would dance with them. Alexis and I were more then content dancing with each other, pumping our fists and shaking our butts for no one but ourselves. One guy slid over to us and casually said, "Are you guys models?!" Laughed. In. His. Face. Then he said, "Hey, at least I tried, right?" And we gave him that much. One Asian guy was dancing so hard that his shirt was dripping sweat and he proceeded to throw his body against mine and then try to kiss me....really?! I ran off the dance floor. Jodi came down from our table eventually and we had a great time dancing with her- definitely make the best of what the night's cards had dealt us. Finally we left the club around 2 AM, and while the others had magically caught a cab, Alexis, 2 other girls, and myself had not been so lucky and we ended up walking 3 blocks trying to flag one down- along the way my butt got more attention then I could have ever wanted (I seriously mean that) and I got asked for my phone number 9 times...by the time we reached the end of the third block we were running into the street trying to grab taxis because we wanted to go home so badly. A police officer decided to be kind enough to get us one and we couldn't thank him enough- yelling out the van window as the Asian driver sped through a yellow light. After a short ride we made it back to the hotel, where Tommy was waiting outside for us- the look of relief on his face when we stepped out of the cab was priceless- must have been concerning to have 4 of your girlfriend's close friends stuck in a busy city, at night, wearing heels and tight dresses. We crashed into bed immediately...
We left at 9 that morning- assuring Jodi that despite all the mishaps, we really did have an awesome time- and we did- Boston never disappoints me (knock on wood). I felt so bad that she'd been screwed out of so much money, had a mediocre waitress, and that some of her friends didn't get into the club- but overall, we had such a good time.
Maybe next time we'll just buy our own bottle and pre-game the shit out of the club...$350 my ass.
Jodi set this birthday event up a few weeks back- inviting all the girls, saying that she spoke to Club Royale in Boston and that she had bought a VIP table where we would get our own waitress and a huge bottle of Grey Goose, as well as stay in a hotel room a short taxi ride away- all for $60. Obviously we were all in. She had gone to a friend's birthday a few weeks before, at the club actually downstairs from Royale, called Gilt, and said that it was insane- hence, why she wanted to do the same for her birthday! So, we all got work off, planned rides, and drove down to Boston last Friday night. Alexis and I made astonishing time (35 min...perhaps we were speeding?), proceeded to get lost in South Boston, went through two (not one, two) "DO NOT ENTER" signs, and finally made it to the hotel. Checked in, changed, and Jodi's boyfriend made us delicious mixed drinks to get the night going. When everyone finally made it, we had the hotel call us 2 cabs and we made our way to Tremont Street. Because of our VIP status (brush-dirt-off-shoulder) we were able to cut the line...to where 2 huge bouncers stood, checking ID's. Almost immediately, they turned away one of the girls in our group who was using a fake ID- she began to make a scene, so Alexis and I just ran inside to let someone else handle it. Once inside the lobby, more security shooed us up the grand staircase to the next level, where others from our group were waiting- including a distraught Jodi, who was being told by management that because we were missing people from our group, we'd be charged an extra $180 per person....what? Obviously Jodi and Tommy began to put up a fight. We'd already paid $480 for the table/bottle service, why would we pay any more? After finally getting our way, the girl with the fake had to take a taxi back to the hotel (sad, but isn't that the risk you have to take?) and we proceeded to go up yet another staircase. The club was originally an old theater- they had kept the mahogany staircases, gilded wall fixtures, chandeliers, and red velvet curtains, and the overall effect was quite beautiful- especially for a nightclub! We went up another staircase (no gym needed apparently) and were brought to our VIP table- a long bench on a balcony overlooking the dance floor below, where apparently VIP tables down there cost $5,000 (oh you fancy huh?) We threw our coats down, had Tommy take four pictures of us (unsuccessful because my camera is awesome) and we waited for our waitress to come over. After waiting a good 10 minutes, she finally showed up...holding a fifth of Grey Goose. Immediately, Jodi told her that when she'd made the reservation she'd been promised a "big, huge, over-sized bottle" of vodka, not a fifth that we could buy at the liquor store. The woman- who's boobs were all up in our faces- explained that this is what we were getting, but if we'd like to order another bottle she'd be mooooreeee than happy to provide us with one. "Okay, how much?" "$350." "Are you fucking kidding me?" "I know, it's a little over-priced...." Seriously? A fifth is $40 at the liquor store...an extra $310 seems reasonable, right? Thoroughly pissed off, we asked her to please just pour us drinks. After pouring the 10 of us mixed drinks, the bottle was about 3/4 gone...already. And the weird part was, she didn't leave the bottle at the table with us- but instead kept taking it away and then would bring it back every 15 minutes to see if we wanted more. Ummmm why can't you just leave it? We don't need you and your boobs assistance pouring it, thanks. Realizing that everyone was feeling a little discouraged about the situation, Alexis and I decided that if we'd driven to the city, spent $60, and gotten dressed up, we were going to have a good night- so it was off to the dance floor.
Sketchball city.
Legitimately hundreds of duded gyrating their hips in the hopes that one "lucky" girl would dance with them. Alexis and I were more then content dancing with each other, pumping our fists and shaking our butts for no one but ourselves. One guy slid over to us and casually said, "Are you guys models?!" Laughed. In. His. Face. Then he said, "Hey, at least I tried, right?" And we gave him that much. One Asian guy was dancing so hard that his shirt was dripping sweat and he proceeded to throw his body against mine and then try to kiss me....really?! I ran off the dance floor. Jodi came down from our table eventually and we had a great time dancing with her- definitely make the best of what the night's cards had dealt us. Finally we left the club around 2 AM, and while the others had magically caught a cab, Alexis, 2 other girls, and myself had not been so lucky and we ended up walking 3 blocks trying to flag one down- along the way my butt got more attention then I could have ever wanted (I seriously mean that) and I got asked for my phone number 9 times...by the time we reached the end of the third block we were running into the street trying to grab taxis because we wanted to go home so badly. A police officer decided to be kind enough to get us one and we couldn't thank him enough- yelling out the van window as the Asian driver sped through a yellow light. After a short ride we made it back to the hotel, where Tommy was waiting outside for us- the look of relief on his face when we stepped out of the cab was priceless- must have been concerning to have 4 of your girlfriend's close friends stuck in a busy city, at night, wearing heels and tight dresses. We crashed into bed immediately...
We left at 9 that morning- assuring Jodi that despite all the mishaps, we really did have an awesome time- and we did- Boston never disappoints me (knock on wood). I felt so bad that she'd been screwed out of so much money, had a mediocre waitress, and that some of her friends didn't get into the club- but overall, we had such a good time.
Maybe next time we'll just buy our own bottle and pre-game the shit out of the club...$350 my ass.
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
#ambition
It seems since Wale announced that he'd be releasing an album on 11.1.11, entitled "Ambition" and then with the consequent release, everywhere I see is the word ambition. #Ambition was all over Twitter, people quoting Wale, adding him to their Tweets, and then Facebook statuses like "#ambition" (woah der...Facebook is not Twitter). Some of my favorite tweets have been from some of my guy friends, praising the "ambitious girl" ("S/O to college girls studying right now instead of sitting in yoga pants eating nutella, #ambition #yogapantslie #bitchesaintfoolinme"; "go girl, #ambition"; No matter how bad your day go, S/O to that ambitious girl, do you thang boo #Ambition #GoGirl.") that Wale serenades in some of his songs. As bad as it sounds (and I hate to say this boys) most of the time, I see my close guy friends as not appreciating the women in their lives who are striving for an education and money. Now, this perspective has changed a lot since my freshman year, because obviously those boys have matured and aren't pursuing the infamous "freshman experience" (you should know what I mean...) Recently, and I wouldn't say this is due to Wale, but perhaps his influence is there, the females in my life have been disregarding boys and instead are looking to get money, get good grades, and be independent and strong- intimidating for males usually. But seeing my male friends tweets praising the ambition that women have (especially in college) made me happy, and more importantly, proud. Not only has Wale released songs such as these, but other extremely popular rappers have too- like Drake, on his "Make Me Proud" track, for example. Hip-Hop and Rap, more recently then ever it seems, have been dominating mainstream media and music, it seems like everyone is listening and with that kind of attention comes a responsibility to raise the bar, set lyricism standards higher, and more than ever, praise that ambition- especially with women. This appreciation of female ambition is just one of many reasons (that I've noticed lately) why I feel like I can finally stop calling some of the males in my life boys and start actually referring to them as men.
Ambitious Girl
Ambitious Girl, pt. 2
"Easy to dream a dream, but much harder to live it, look, they gon' love me for my ambition, beautiful music, painting pictures that be my vision..." - Wale Folarin
Ambitious Girl
Ambitious Girl, pt. 2
"Easy to dream a dream, but much harder to live it, look, they gon' love me for my ambition, beautiful music, painting pictures that be my vision..." - Wale Folarin
Thursday, October 27, 2011
am i dreaming?
Not to sound ultra-sappy, but this past weekend was basically perfect.
In August I found out J. Cole was going on his first world tour...and that he was coming to a city near me October 22nd- obviously the only reasonable thing to do was disregard ticket prices and purchase immediately. I didn't care if any of my friends were going or that the closet concert was two hours away, I finally had the chance to see him live. He went on tour earlier this summer with Rihanna on her "Loud" tour, but by the time I found he was her opener and tried to order tickets, the price was around $250...a little unreasonable. I ended up ordering tickets for one of my best friend's, Wanny, and myself and we decided that she would drive up here Friday night, party with us, and then we would drive to her city the following day and leave for the concert from there because it would cut down time spent in the car. The night she came up here, she, my roommate Lauren, and I subsequently finished a bottle of tequila (with the help of some of our close guy friends and about 35 limes the size of golf balls...) and didn't even make it out to the party we were supposed to be going to- so college of us. I woke up on my futon, found a band-aid wrapped around my finger and realized it was from cutting while slicing mini-limes the night before (damn you ping-pong), and Wanny sleeping soundly next to me. After going through all the texts and phone calls from the night before, we finally got up, recapped the evening's events with Lauren, showered and pulled ourselves together, and began our drive back to Wanny's in Lawrence. Halfway there I turned to Wanny and said, "Wanny, I have a very serious question to ask you..." she took her eyes off the road and glanced at me, seriously, "Okay, what is it?" "When we get to Lawrence...can we get Pollo Tipico?" She looked at me again, huge smile, and burst out laughing. "Of COURSE! Oh my god you are too much..." Pollo Tipico is one of my favorite restaurants and any opportunity I get to eat there, I take immediately. It's a Dominican restaurant that serves traditional Dominican food, but my order always stays the same- chicken, rise, beans, mofongo, fried plantains, these little chicken-filled empanada things that I'm obsessed with, and this delicious red soda that tastes like a summer day (there's no other way to describe it). We go in and Wanny does all the ordering because; a) they only speak Spanish, b) my Spanish is sub-par and c) I'm the only white person in the tiny little restaurant so I'm already intimidated- it's just easier for loud, little, Dominican Wanny give our order. We drove back to Wanny's, devoured the food (she'd been missing it while away at school as well), took quick naps and then began getting ready for the show. After deciding on concert-acceptable outfits with the help of her mother and her adorable littler sister Maia (Wanny in a dark jeans, flats, grey lace tank top, black blazer- Me in black jeans, black shirt, motorcycle boots, black sequin jacket) we had her mom take some quick pictures of us and we ran out the door. We got to the venue about an hour early, perfect timing because we were very close to the front of the line, and because the show was sold out I was afraid we wouldn't get good seats. I'm not sure what I was expecting about the crowd that would be in attendance, but it was not what I was expecting. The crowd was mixed- Spanish, White, Black, Asian, people ages between 18 and 35, men and women. The girls around us were totally obnoxious. Boston accents as thick as their cheap bronzer and foundation that was caked on-their eyes bloodshot and their "classy" outfits reeked of alcohol (on that note- Wanny and I decided to stay completely sober; if you love an artist and are already excited, why mess yourself up for a performance and a moment you want to remember?) When someone near us said they bought their ticket for $40 (like us) the girls scoffed and asked why anybody would ever pay that much for him...um, excuse me, you and your three-sizes too small skirt can leave now, real fans only please. Needless to say, Wanny and I decided that once we got inside we needed to get away from these girls as soon as possible. Oh, one more thing about these girls- when the line finally started moving and men separated from women to be searched, we saw the girls purses being searched and the woman searching one of them pulled out a hair straightener from her purse....questionable and weird. Anyways, we got inside and went right to this little balcony that overlooked the floor where people were congregating right in front of the stage. The venue was small enough that our balcony felt close enough and we actually had space to breeeeaaatheeee. There were VIP round table seats behind us that were a little higher up and next to the bar- a lot of the openers had bought these tables for the night. The DJ that opened and kept us busy was a little annoying, he played good music but kept interrupting the song to do yet another shout-out...twelve shout-outs a song is a little ridiculous. Finally, the openers came on: Serge, Moufy, Aziz, and another whose name never got said: Serge yelled into the mic, Moufy's energy was insane, Aziz pulled it all back together, and the other guy sounded like Drake but didn't have as much swagger. When the lights finally dimmed and J. Cole's DJ came out (who was amazing and a real professional) people started going nuts. After six or seven songs, Cole finally walked onto the stage around 10:00pm. Damn...both good looking and insanely talented. He began with the song "Cole World" and moved onto "Before I'm Gone". After the first two songs he stopped and talked to us for about 5 minutes, about who he is, where he went to college, why school is important, and how crazy it is that he sold out the venue and that he has the #1 selling album in the country...wow, what an accomplishment. He went on to play "Daddy's Little Girl", "Lost Ones", "Lights Please", "You Got It", "In the Morning", "Rise and Shine", "Can't Get Enough", "Work Out", "Mr. Nice Watch", "All I Want is You", "A Star is Born", "Blow Up", and "Who Dat", before saying goodnight...or so we thought. After leaving the stage and us chanting his name for a few minutes, he came back and performed, "I Get Up" which transitioned into "Nobody's Perfect". He ended with "Farewell" and literally said farewell to everyone in the audience who held their snap-backs and fitted's up as well as random others ("Babygirl in the white tee, farewell...young brotha with the Fayettenam shirt farewell..."), it took about 10 min. for him to finish. It was such an intense and emotional performance, everyone was completely engaged and you could feel the positive energy radiating through the room. After standing there in shock of how good it was for a few minutes, Wanny and I began the trek back up the stairs and to the car. On the way out I noticed that they were giving out special edition posters of J. Cole and, of course, I needed to have one. I tapped the guy giving them out on the shoulder and asked politely if I could have one and he said yes, as long as they could film me holding the poster and giving a review of the show. I said my piece to the camera, shaking from the energy and excitement, and told them how absolutely unbelievable he was, that he is my favorite artist- hope they use that footage somewhere and I hope I don't look beat. Needless to say, after making the drive home that night and re-watching the videos I took on my iPhone in bed, Wanny and I slept like babies...most likely dreaming of J. Cole serenading us in a private show. A girl can dream, right?
coleworld.dreamville.
In August I found out J. Cole was going on his first world tour...and that he was coming to a city near me October 22nd- obviously the only reasonable thing to do was disregard ticket prices and purchase immediately. I didn't care if any of my friends were going or that the closet concert was two hours away, I finally had the chance to see him live. He went on tour earlier this summer with Rihanna on her "Loud" tour, but by the time I found he was her opener and tried to order tickets, the price was around $250...a little unreasonable. I ended up ordering tickets for one of my best friend's, Wanny, and myself and we decided that she would drive up here Friday night, party with us, and then we would drive to her city the following day and leave for the concert from there because it would cut down time spent in the car. The night she came up here, she, my roommate Lauren, and I subsequently finished a bottle of tequila (with the help of some of our close guy friends and about 35 limes the size of golf balls...) and didn't even make it out to the party we were supposed to be going to- so college of us. I woke up on my futon, found a band-aid wrapped around my finger and realized it was from cutting while slicing mini-limes the night before (damn you ping-pong), and Wanny sleeping soundly next to me. After going through all the texts and phone calls from the night before, we finally got up, recapped the evening's events with Lauren, showered and pulled ourselves together, and began our drive back to Wanny's in Lawrence. Halfway there I turned to Wanny and said, "Wanny, I have a very serious question to ask you..." she took her eyes off the road and glanced at me, seriously, "Okay, what is it?" "When we get to Lawrence...can we get Pollo Tipico?" She looked at me again, huge smile, and burst out laughing. "Of COURSE! Oh my god you are too much..." Pollo Tipico is one of my favorite restaurants and any opportunity I get to eat there, I take immediately. It's a Dominican restaurant that serves traditional Dominican food, but my order always stays the same- chicken, rise, beans, mofongo, fried plantains, these little chicken-filled empanada things that I'm obsessed with, and this delicious red soda that tastes like a summer day (there's no other way to describe it). We go in and Wanny does all the ordering because; a) they only speak Spanish, b) my Spanish is sub-par and c) I'm the only white person in the tiny little restaurant so I'm already intimidated- it's just easier for loud, little, Dominican Wanny give our order. We drove back to Wanny's, devoured the food (she'd been missing it while away at school as well), took quick naps and then began getting ready for the show. After deciding on concert-acceptable outfits with the help of her mother and her adorable littler sister Maia (Wanny in a dark jeans, flats, grey lace tank top, black blazer- Me in black jeans, black shirt, motorcycle boots, black sequin jacket) we had her mom take some quick pictures of us and we ran out the door. We got to the venue about an hour early, perfect timing because we were very close to the front of the line, and because the show was sold out I was afraid we wouldn't get good seats. I'm not sure what I was expecting about the crowd that would be in attendance, but it was not what I was expecting. The crowd was mixed- Spanish, White, Black, Asian, people ages between 18 and 35, men and women. The girls around us were totally obnoxious. Boston accents as thick as their cheap bronzer and foundation that was caked on-their eyes bloodshot and their "classy" outfits reeked of alcohol (on that note- Wanny and I decided to stay completely sober; if you love an artist and are already excited, why mess yourself up for a performance and a moment you want to remember?) When someone near us said they bought their ticket for $40 (like us) the girls scoffed and asked why anybody would ever pay that much for him...um, excuse me, you and your three-sizes too small skirt can leave now, real fans only please. Needless to say, Wanny and I decided that once we got inside we needed to get away from these girls as soon as possible. Oh, one more thing about these girls- when the line finally started moving and men separated from women to be searched, we saw the girls purses being searched and the woman searching one of them pulled out a hair straightener from her purse....questionable and weird. Anyways, we got inside and went right to this little balcony that overlooked the floor where people were congregating right in front of the stage. The venue was small enough that our balcony felt close enough and we actually had space to breeeeaaatheeee. There were VIP round table seats behind us that were a little higher up and next to the bar- a lot of the openers had bought these tables for the night. The DJ that opened and kept us busy was a little annoying, he played good music but kept interrupting the song to do yet another shout-out...twelve shout-outs a song is a little ridiculous. Finally, the openers came on: Serge, Moufy, Aziz, and another whose name never got said: Serge yelled into the mic, Moufy's energy was insane, Aziz pulled it all back together, and the other guy sounded like Drake but didn't have as much swagger. When the lights finally dimmed and J. Cole's DJ came out (who was amazing and a real professional) people started going nuts. After six or seven songs, Cole finally walked onto the stage around 10:00pm. Damn...both good looking and insanely talented. He began with the song "Cole World" and moved onto "Before I'm Gone". After the first two songs he stopped and talked to us for about 5 minutes, about who he is, where he went to college, why school is important, and how crazy it is that he sold out the venue and that he has the #1 selling album in the country...wow, what an accomplishment. He went on to play "Daddy's Little Girl", "Lost Ones", "Lights Please", "You Got It", "In the Morning", "Rise and Shine", "Can't Get Enough", "Work Out", "Mr. Nice Watch", "All I Want is You", "A Star is Born", "Blow Up", and "Who Dat", before saying goodnight...or so we thought. After leaving the stage and us chanting his name for a few minutes, he came back and performed, "I Get Up" which transitioned into "Nobody's Perfect". He ended with "Farewell" and literally said farewell to everyone in the audience who held their snap-backs and fitted's up as well as random others ("Babygirl in the white tee, farewell...young brotha with the Fayettenam shirt farewell..."), it took about 10 min. for him to finish. It was such an intense and emotional performance, everyone was completely engaged and you could feel the positive energy radiating through the room. After standing there in shock of how good it was for a few minutes, Wanny and I began the trek back up the stairs and to the car. On the way out I noticed that they were giving out special edition posters of J. Cole and, of course, I needed to have one. I tapped the guy giving them out on the shoulder and asked politely if I could have one and he said yes, as long as they could film me holding the poster and giving a review of the show. I said my piece to the camera, shaking from the energy and excitement, and told them how absolutely unbelievable he was, that he is my favorite artist- hope they use that footage somewhere and I hope I don't look beat. Needless to say, after making the drive home that night and re-watching the videos I took on my iPhone in bed, Wanny and I slept like babies...most likely dreaming of J. Cole serenading us in a private show. A girl can dream, right?
coleworld.dreamville.
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
gym list tres
Just sharing another gym list, hopefully writing this will motivate me to put my yoga pants on and work it....
1. Good Good Night- Roscoe Dash
2. Body Ya- Fabolous
3. Make Me Proud- Drake ft. Nicki Minaj
4. Rise and Shine- J. Cole
5. Girlfriend- Chris Brown
6. I Like The View- Lil' Wayne
7. Ocean Drive- Wale
8. Mo' Money Mo' Problems- Notorious B.I.G.
9. Daddy's Little Girl- J. Cole
10. Cuttin' Up- Los
11. Tats On My Arm- Wale ft. Rick Ross
12. Itty Bitty Piggy- Nicki Minaj
13. Free Spirit- Drake ft. Rick Ross
14. One Minute Man- Missy Elliott
15. Diva- Beyonce
16. On To The Next One- Jay-Z
17. Ghetto- The Dream ft. Big Sean
18. Phone Numbers- Wiz Khalifa
19. Nobody's Perfect- J. Cole ft. Missy Elliott
20. Choppa Choppa- French Montana ft. Waka Flocka Flame
21. She Will- Lil' Wayne ft. Drake
22. Hip Hop Saved My Life- Lupe Fiasco
23. The Cypher- Fabolous
"...word play king i'm not the one to scrabble with..."
1. Good Good Night- Roscoe Dash
2. Body Ya- Fabolous
3. Make Me Proud- Drake ft. Nicki Minaj
4. Rise and Shine- J. Cole
5. Girlfriend- Chris Brown
6. I Like The View- Lil' Wayne
7. Ocean Drive- Wale
8. Mo' Money Mo' Problems- Notorious B.I.G.
9. Daddy's Little Girl- J. Cole
10. Cuttin' Up- Los
11. Tats On My Arm- Wale ft. Rick Ross
12. Itty Bitty Piggy- Nicki Minaj
13. Free Spirit- Drake ft. Rick Ross
14. One Minute Man- Missy Elliott
15. Diva- Beyonce
16. On To The Next One- Jay-Z
17. Ghetto- The Dream ft. Big Sean
18. Phone Numbers- Wiz Khalifa
19. Nobody's Perfect- J. Cole ft. Missy Elliott
20. Choppa Choppa- French Montana ft. Waka Flocka Flame
21. She Will- Lil' Wayne ft. Drake
22. Hip Hop Saved My Life- Lupe Fiasco
23. The Cypher- Fabolous
"...word play king i'm not the one to scrabble with..."
Sunday, October 16, 2011
it's been a while...
Where have I been the past few weeks? The last time I wrote a post feels like a distant memory. I guess I just haven't had a chance, what with mid-terms, scoring an internship...oh, and turning 21 :)
Yes, my birthday was twelve days ago, and I must say, it was quite the birthday week. My lovely, lovely roommate Ella told me she would drive me to the bars and back as part of my birthday present (God love her) so that worked out extremely well for me...not so much for her car interior (though it's back to being fresh as a daisy). My roommates and friends spoiled me and got me a poster of Biggie, a Beyonce world tour DVD, a scrapbook, a Waterford crystal wine glass, a mini-wine shot glass, a bottle of Tequila, a nip of Goldschlagger, a monogrammed flask AND shot glass, a bouquet of roses, a huge glass that can hold five beers, a picture frame, a margarita glass with roses, an adorable wine-bottle stopper, and, to top it all off, Ella made me the most delicious chocolate cake with raspberries that spelled out "21"...aptly named "Crack-co-cake"- it was unbelievable. Some of my close girl friend's were able to come to the bar with me that night and we had a hell of a time- birthday shots, dancing, and Dirty Shirley's...a solid Wednesday night. Thursday was my roommate Alyssa's birthday (ironic, I know) and we celebrated her definitive 21st at our favorite restaurant on campus- Mei Wei- and then got dollar drinks at the bar-again, very successful evening. Friday was our joint birthday extravaganza- completely with two of my best friends visiting from URI and Northeastern! I was finally able to wear my infamous birthday dress and we successfully filled our 6-person apartment with about 95 of our "closest" friends. There was dancing on couches, dancing on tables, posters falling down, music blaring, competitive bei-ruit, and a very sticky kitchen floor. Despite a few minor hiccups in the evenings events, we cleared everyone out before quiet hours at midnight (again, huge thank you to Ella...she's such a boss)- with a little help from our very loud friends Nate and Wil, who continued to shout, "Ya'll don't gotta go home but you gotta get the fuck outta here!" and "Yo! These girls like living here, so let them stay in their apartment in peace and get out!" Gotta love 'em :)
The following week was a blur of exams, preparations for mid-terms, and first trips to the liquor store (I never knew I could be so overwhelmed by flavors of Smirnoff...mango? Blueberry? Watermelon? Yum). Today I finally got my first Sunday off in about four weeks that I didn't have homework...a miracle among miracles considering Laura and I danced like crazy the night before. Last night, after I casually knocked a cup of Ciroc out of my friend TC's hand all over my friend Pat's shirt and then proceeded to spill ice on him, we decided it was time to make moves and head to the next party. TC, Kyle, Laura and I headed downtown with the hopes of hoping the fence that intersects two parking lots to give clearance to the train tracks. Now, hoping this fence shaves off a solid 3 minutes from the regular walk so we knew we just had to do it...in our skirts...and high heels. The wire fence didn't stand a chance against our high-heeled-motivation, when two cops popped out between parked cars, flashlights waving madly, shouting, "Hey! You four kids!" TC, swinging his bottle of Simply Limeade, told them they could go right ahead and taste it, nothing but juice, and they checked all our purses and ID's, but they ended up lecturing the boys on making Laura and I climb the fence...and then they told us to have a good night- whew, I guess some cops are actually logical and realize that four, legal college students hopping a fence is probably the least of their concerns for the night. An extra 3 minute walk later, we'd made it back to TC's apartment, met up with Wil, and began the next trek to a house party down the street. Upon walking in to a place where Laura and I knew absolutely no one who lived there, TC immediately grabbed the iPod and put on Nelly's "Ride Wit Me" while Laura and I spotted an empty table perfect for dancing on in front of the fireplace...needless to say we kept the party alive up there. We left just as TC had changed the song to an old Juelz Santana throwback...
Anyways, back to my free-Sunday; Laura, Devon, and I went to the Halloween outlet store and I spent a total of $12 on my Spider-woman costume (yes, Spiderman watch was totally necessary). We then went to this adorable farm stand where we met up with Jodi and then went on a hayride, made our way through a "difficult" corn maze, bought little pumpkins to carve, and fed grass to the donkey's there. It sounds cliche to say that it was perfect fall weather and that it was sickeningly sweet that we were able to spend the day doing something as simple as taking a hayride, but it really was a quintessential fall afternoon...sue me for being so cute okay?! And, like usual, Ella killed the Sunday dinner- Polish comfort food: rice with thick, lemony sauce with chopped chicken stirred in, and steamed broccoli on the side...perfection. Now it's time to end the evening with a scary, Halloween inspired movie.
oh and hey, chicks love pumpkin picking:
Yes, my birthday was twelve days ago, and I must say, it was quite the birthday week. My lovely, lovely roommate Ella told me she would drive me to the bars and back as part of my birthday present (God love her) so that worked out extremely well for me...not so much for her car interior (though it's back to being fresh as a daisy). My roommates and friends spoiled me and got me a poster of Biggie, a Beyonce world tour DVD, a scrapbook, a Waterford crystal wine glass, a mini-wine shot glass, a bottle of Tequila, a nip of Goldschlagger, a monogrammed flask AND shot glass, a bouquet of roses, a huge glass that can hold five beers, a picture frame, a margarita glass with roses, an adorable wine-bottle stopper, and, to top it all off, Ella made me the most delicious chocolate cake with raspberries that spelled out "21"...aptly named "Crack-co-cake"- it was unbelievable. Some of my close girl friend's were able to come to the bar with me that night and we had a hell of a time- birthday shots, dancing, and Dirty Shirley's...a solid Wednesday night. Thursday was my roommate Alyssa's birthday (ironic, I know) and we celebrated her definitive 21st at our favorite restaurant on campus- Mei Wei- and then got dollar drinks at the bar-again, very successful evening. Friday was our joint birthday extravaganza- completely with two of my best friends visiting from URI and Northeastern! I was finally able to wear my infamous birthday dress and we successfully filled our 6-person apartment with about 95 of our "closest" friends. There was dancing on couches, dancing on tables, posters falling down, music blaring, competitive bei-ruit, and a very sticky kitchen floor. Despite a few minor hiccups in the evenings events, we cleared everyone out before quiet hours at midnight (again, huge thank you to Ella...she's such a boss)- with a little help from our very loud friends Nate and Wil, who continued to shout, "Ya'll don't gotta go home but you gotta get the fuck outta here!" and "Yo! These girls like living here, so let them stay in their apartment in peace and get out!" Gotta love 'em :)
The following week was a blur of exams, preparations for mid-terms, and first trips to the liquor store (I never knew I could be so overwhelmed by flavors of Smirnoff...mango? Blueberry? Watermelon? Yum). Today I finally got my first Sunday off in about four weeks that I didn't have homework...a miracle among miracles considering Laura and I danced like crazy the night before. Last night, after I casually knocked a cup of Ciroc out of my friend TC's hand all over my friend Pat's shirt and then proceeded to spill ice on him, we decided it was time to make moves and head to the next party. TC, Kyle, Laura and I headed downtown with the hopes of hoping the fence that intersects two parking lots to give clearance to the train tracks. Now, hoping this fence shaves off a solid 3 minutes from the regular walk so we knew we just had to do it...in our skirts...and high heels. The wire fence didn't stand a chance against our high-heeled-motivation, when two cops popped out between parked cars, flashlights waving madly, shouting, "Hey! You four kids!" TC, swinging his bottle of Simply Limeade, told them they could go right ahead and taste it, nothing but juice, and they checked all our purses and ID's, but they ended up lecturing the boys on making Laura and I climb the fence...and then they told us to have a good night- whew, I guess some cops are actually logical and realize that four, legal college students hopping a fence is probably the least of their concerns for the night. An extra 3 minute walk later, we'd made it back to TC's apartment, met up with Wil, and began the next trek to a house party down the street. Upon walking in to a place where Laura and I knew absolutely no one who lived there, TC immediately grabbed the iPod and put on Nelly's "Ride Wit Me" while Laura and I spotted an empty table perfect for dancing on in front of the fireplace...needless to say we kept the party alive up there. We left just as TC had changed the song to an old Juelz Santana throwback...
Anyways, back to my free-Sunday; Laura, Devon, and I went to the Halloween outlet store and I spent a total of $12 on my Spider-woman costume (yes, Spiderman watch was totally necessary). We then went to this adorable farm stand where we met up with Jodi and then went on a hayride, made our way through a "difficult" corn maze, bought little pumpkins to carve, and fed grass to the donkey's there. It sounds cliche to say that it was perfect fall weather and that it was sickeningly sweet that we were able to spend the day doing something as simple as taking a hayride, but it really was a quintessential fall afternoon...sue me for being so cute okay?! And, like usual, Ella killed the Sunday dinner- Polish comfort food: rice with thick, lemony sauce with chopped chicken stirred in, and steamed broccoli on the side...perfection. Now it's time to end the evening with a scary, Halloween inspired movie.
oh and hey, chicks love pumpkin picking:
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