big move.

ok...i'm moving to tumblr, where all the cool kids hang out. same title, just on tumblr: http://katesbestthings.tumblr.com/

my Best Things of the last few days

Seen: www.unhappyhipsters.com

Felt: my 2nd runner's high EVER. Please note, I exercise nearly every day...one of my biggest pet peeves is that it is nearly impossible for me to achieve this elusive feeling. Usually, stepping up the intensity of my cardio results in a pounding headache- I'd probably like exercising a lot more if I could get the high more consistently. Sigh.

Bought: a pair of thick (and cute) thigh-high socks...they made the mile-long walk to work in 19 degree weather absolutely painless. Well, for my legs- my face was another story.

Promised: my sister & I agreed that we like each other more when we're eating puppy chow instead of carrots. Farewell, Spring Break 2010 diet! (Thank you to the friend who inspired me to propose this deal after telling me that's what she & her sis did in "preparation" for their SB10)

Heard: a woman on a TV show said "I couldn't care less" rather than the standard (and completely infuriating to me) "I could care less." Why, oh why, can the general public not understand that the latter does NOT make sense? If you could care less, you DO care about the thing you're talking about. However, if you couldn't care less, you care the very least amount possible about whatever you're talking about. Sorry...I'm a huge nerd.

Made: in approximately 3 hours, I will break out some kickass chocolate cake shots for a Welcome to NYC party in my friend Alexis's honor. I am completely confident that they will be the best thing I make today.

MAKEOVER!!!

It's time for a blog makeover. In order to encourage myself to identify and appreciate all the great people, places, and things (so...nouns) in my life, I'm going to attempt to regularly share the Best Things I see, hear, remember, smell, eat, make, read...etc. Yes, I was totally inspired by the Food Network's gem of a show called "The Best Thing I Ever Ate"- it is always so worth watching (well, to me). So, here's the first installment of my recent Best Things.

Over the last week, The Best Thing I...

...Heard (via my sister): my precious niece, Delaney, telling her princess dolls that they needed to "go find that Indian princess, Polkadotas."

...Did: booked a kickass sister trip to Cozumel for Spring Break. Funded by our parents (Christmas gift), it's shaping up to be really drool-inducing. I am SO looking forward to bonding with my older sister...we've gotten super close over the past couple of years, making up for our slightly shaky childhood relationship. Nothing dramatic ever happened, we were just a teeny bit too far apart in age to really appreciate the magic of sister-ness as kids. (That, and I was a brat...hey, I'm working on it.) Unlimited booze, sun, books, water, and sand are a mere 48 days ahead!!!

...Smelled: Cuban pork, while I was walking with my friend Kristen through my 'hood. MMMMMM. Also, her perfume always makes me really happy :)

...Read: I'm reverting back to childhood lately in my schizophrenic reading style. I am currently reading 4 books! I did finish one lately, though, which is absolutely noteworthy: "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close" by Jonathan Safran Foer. Do yourself a favor and check it out, seriously.

...Ate: a grilled cheese from Think Coffee- composed of white cheddar and pesto between perfectly grilled, buttery bread. This is the best grilled cheese I've ever had, and I have no desire to know its vital statistics, as Think Coffee is located conveniently between my school department and place of work; therefore, let's just say that this indulgence was not a one-time thing.

...Bought: a fierce dress from French Connection- 70% off and fits like a glove. It's possible that this dress will influence my plans for the weekend.

...Saw: it's a tie between the first few episodes of Modern Family and the first 2 episodes of Spartacus: Blood & Sand. The former is reminiscent of Arrested Development, but not quite as ridiculous (not that there's anything wrong with that), while the latter is basically soft-core porn + gladiator fighting. I don't feel like any further elaboration is necessary.

...Made: I constructed an Ikea-type bookshelf last night. It was very frustrating, and definitely a 2 person job- I definitely looked like I was participating in a strange mix of carpentry and a game of Twister througout the process. Seriously, at one point, I was in "right foot: bottom shelf, left foot: floor, right hand: side shelf, left hand: middle shelf" position. Where was the top shelf? It was resting on my back, doi. Anyway, it came out fairly well, considering that all sides were dented during shipment...and we'll see if I need any of the obligatory leftover pieces. Don't we all learn from our fathers that there should be a bag full of random pieces left at the end, even when the "instructions" tell us that all pieces are necessary? There's NO way that those 8 wooden dowels will really support the structure itself, let alone all the crap that I've already piled on it. I should prepare to get scared shitless when it all comes crashing down, I suppose. (Sidenote: HOW is the word "dowel" in my vocabulary? I just looked it up and it's correct, which is just weird.)

torture and cookies

today, i thought of a great idea for a new form of torture.

induce a hangover somehow (maybe intravenous vodka, since that's apparently what i went for last night) then lock the victim in a room filled with items of every shape, size, and material imaginable. the victim must wrap each gift without it looking like a psychotic wolf did the job (in other words, make it pretty).

hey, here's a great idea. let's mix up approximately 48967 pounds of frosting and tweak it with food coloring until it is so flawless that bob ross would be proud to lovingly dabble in it on his palatte. let's do this by instructing a 3 year old and a 5 year old to either "add a liiiiittle more color in" or "oops, too much- better add some white back in," because that's obviously the most productive way to get the job done. next, let's slap the aforementioned frosting onto cookies shaped like stars, santas, trees, and ornaments until granny has a satisfactory collection of terrible tasting yet festive cookies to push on people who don't want them. except pop...he wants them.

this just in: i want to die.

Seen & Heard

The best things I've seen lately:

1.) A dog (boxer, I think), wearing a heavy gangsta chain and a fur coat (isn't that redundant?)
2.) 2 great Halloween couples costumes-
*Ron Burgandy (sans pants) & Veronic Corningstone (complete with the perfect silk blouse & skirt suit)
*Beyonce (adorable dog) & Backup Dancer (hilarious owner)
3.) First disk of the second season of "How I Met Your Mother" (I like this show more and more with every episode...in fact, I think it may creep its way into my FB "favorite TV shows" section by the end of season 2)
4.) The beginning of fall in NYC- this city is meant to be experienced right now. If you don't know what I'm talking about, GET HERE.
5.) A paraplegic finishing the NYC Marathon. He had one prosthesis acting for both of his legs, plus crutches. For. Twenty. Six. Miles. I followed him for 2 blocks, cheering & tearing. Needless to say, I started running again last week.

The best things I've heard lately:

1.) "So...you come here for the Yankees game, or just to show off your bangs?"
-Some dude (to me), while I was waiting by myself at a bar for someone
2.) "You are SEVERELY smart."
-Some chick, accusing the guy she was walking with of being intelligent.
3.) Taylor Swift. Yeah, I said it.

Current Issues

a.) This semester, I have to take a class called "Current Issues" which is essentially an overview of key aspects of the professional world that we'll be faced with once we're real, live speech pathologists (next year- yikes). At first, I was kind of disgruntled about the whole thing...some of the topics are pretty dry and it's one of those classes during which time just draaaaaags. I mean, we talked about infection control last week & today the stars were documentation and reimbursement...snore. BUT, I've been thinking about how valuable this stuff really is- I honestly didn't know squat about insurance billing & it's oddly interesting to think about the part I'll play in the coverage of patients' rehabilitation services.

Also, my teacher mentioned that it's becoming more common for emergency room teams to include speech pathologists (if you are curious about what an SLP would do in an E.R., ask- I won't bore you with it on here). This is of huge interest to me- growing up, I always pictured myself being a doctor like my dad and his E.R. stories always seemed so fascinating to me. That dream died out when I found out I was allergic to chemistry and physics- and therefore med school- the strangest thing, really. So, I'm thrilled that I've found something I'm good at & passionate about that can be practiced in a hospital setting (nutshell: I'm interested in working with patients with brain injury) & even more stoked that there's a chance I could someday be a part of an E.R. team. This is the stuff, kids!

b.) I have a lot of work to do tonight on this pain-in-the-A project. So, I went to the store for some snackers! I realized something hilarious though, and I think this applies to most women. I have a few foods that I never let myself buy (let's use cereal as an example), not because they're bad for me- I'd be perfectly fine (thrilled, really) with having *a* bowl of cereal as a snack- but because I CANNOT have *a* bowl of cereal. I have to have 79. I can also just eat the entire box dry without even knowing I'm chewing. There are just some foods on which I cannot implement portion control...and therefore, I don't buy. Do we ever see guys doing this? NO. They're like, "Yeah, I need to go get some more frozen pizzas because I've already eaten all the ones I bought a few days ago." NOT, "Oh, man, I don't even let myself buy pizza...I totally enjoy it way too much." This supports my long-standing opinion that GIRLS ARE CRAZY AND GUYS ARE STUPID. period.

c.) Going HOME this weekend!

rainy saturday

on lazy weekend days where i find myself snuggled in bed watching bad TV and eating way too many snacks, i'm perfectly happy. until i look at the clock and realize it's the middle of the afternoon and i have "things" to do. that's when the guilt sets in and i drag my ass out of my nest and half-heartedly start getting dressed...until i notice that it's raining outside and i dive back into my nest gleefully. what is it about rain that makes it okay to be a lazy bum? whatever it is, i hope it never quits working.