Friday Favorites

I've seen several blogs with variations of posts regarding what folks are obsessed with this week.

So, partially in an effort to blog more often, and partially to keep track of my madness, I present my first round of Friday Favorites ...  

My New iPhone

For those who missed the tale in April, my phone hit the concrete during an event in Santiago, Chile. Yes, it had s case on. No, it didn't matter that much. 

The thing went instantly dead and I tried reallllllly hard not to have a massive meltdown in the middle of a fencing tournament. 

FIVE days later, the thing revived itself ... Albeit with a screen that was pseudo-readable because it was now tinted green and had a massive black splotch where the wiring short circuited.

But AT&T wanted $800 for an upgrade. 

So I waited for three months to get my pretty new toy which arrived yesterday. 

And I love it. The design. The feel. The very very pretty screen. The fact that everything is bigger and I can actually read text messages without picking the phone up... 

(Ok, I probably could have just adjusted my settings on the last one, but whatever  ...) 

Now I need a case. 

I'd like to be an iPhone purist who goes caseless ... I'd also like to be independently wealthy. 

I've had the Speck card case before and quite loved it ... 

The case holds between three and four cards and can completely replace a wallet if you're just looking to throw your phone in a pocket. 

But I also kind of like the idea of a clear case, a la ... The Luvvitt, 

Clearly less protection. But just look at it ... 

Buy Me Brunch

This one is KK's fault. Several months ago she sent me a link to a shirt she told me I had to buy ... 

And I did. And it's fabulous. Perhaps not quite the language one can wear to work, but it's super soft and we all know that's one of my favorite Nicole-isms. 

And now the rest keep appearing on my FB feed... Including my two new favorites ... 

BuyMeBtunch.com ... Go. Visit. Try not to become addicted. 

Stitch Fix

I'm officially obsessed. Blanchard is to blame for this one, but I broke down in June and created a Stitch Fix account and now I'm on my second box. 

The premise goes like this ... You visit Stitch Fix, answer a gazillion questions and they send you a box with five items of clothing and / or accessories. 

I was more than a little skeptical at first, but it's $20 to have each box sent to you with free shipping and free returns. That's worth it for the pure entertainment value of seeing how someone else would dress you, right? 

If you keep anything in the box, the $20 comes off your total. If you keep all five things, the box is 25% off. Which means that it essentially means you get at least one free item. 

The best part is there's almost nothing in the box that you would have picked out for yourself (pretty much because we're all creatures of habit.) 

And it's almost impossible to get a box and not love at least one item. 

Or, in my case, three in the first box.

Now the second is here and I'm still debating. Might have to post photos and let y'all weigh in ... 

But first, as a sneak peek, I present my new clutch ... Which not only is not black, but is kind of adorable.

30 Days of Being on Time ... Ish

Technically this experiment ended on July 8, so I'm a bit behind on posting my results, but I'm also on a plane with no wifi and some time to kill, so here goes ... 

Full disclosure ... The point of this experiment was to be kinder to my friends who tend to be the most frequent victims of my late tendencies. 

Except the night before this game started I realized that, if I'm going all in, I should included being to the office at or before 8. 

Hands down that was the toughest part of the experiment. 

Being a PR girl means working lots of nights and weekends and being a morning person means I've usually drug the laptop out by 5:30 or 6 as I like working when it's quiet. I also don't know what leaving the office before 6 (or 7 or 8) looks like without a happy hour date. 

All of the stacks up to me not being an 8 a.m. at my desk kind of person. Which only really bothers people who are strict "I'm in at 8, out at 5 and take my 60 minutes for lunch every day, so help me God" folks. 

But I thought I'd try it. 

I sold myself on the idea that perhaps if I was in early I really would get to run during lunch and leave the office at a sane hour. 

Perhaps this experiment would help in the oft-discussed "quest for work life balance."

Right. And perhaps hell will freeze over too. 

What I learned is that there is something to be said for coming in early. I kinda liked it. And I learned that it was doable if I pared down my to-do list and didn't start working at the house first. 

That last part means I'm not sure being in early actually meant I was getting more done at all. It just meant I was getting a comparable amount of work done with more time in an office a setting. Which means little to me, but perhaps it's worth something to someone else. 

The reality was that I still rarely took a normal lunch break and was usually still the last one out for the day. 

Then again, it was June and, with several massive events coming up, the notion of getting out at 5 (or even 6) is laughable at best. Perhaps I should try again on that notion in August when things are less crazy. 

As far as socially, I did ok. 

I got to surprise my friends by being on time frequently, though I wasn't perfect by any stretch. 

And I realized that my biggest issue is having a tendency to want to do "just one more thing" on my way out the door which is always the kiss of death. 

I also have a tendency to make time guesstimates based on highly ideal circumstances rather than reality. 

As in ...

"Oh, it will take me 10 minutes to get there."

Sure. If you don't hit any stoplights and there's no traffic and you get rock star parking.

Otherwise it's 20 and you should just accept that up front. 

I was pleased to find that time itself was my biggest problem rather than the notion others have thrown out in the blogosphere that late people are uncaring assholes who make conscious decisions that other people can wait. 

Quite the contrary. Usually whatever I was trying to cram in was for someone else or I didn't want to appear rude and cut someone off and say "sorry, gotta go or else I'm going to be late."

The question of whether I'll stick with it has yet to be answered as the past few weeks have been spent in the concrete box where there are few appointments or concepts of time beyond "get there before things start" and "music is playing, must run to medals."

But we shall see ... 

The On Time Challenge

"To be early is to be on time.

To be on time is to be late.

To be late is to be dead ... Or at least to run laps."

With the number of times I heard this in high school, you'd think I'd either be the most punctual person ever ... Or at least I'd be hella skinny. 

Clearly neither of these things are true. 

Recently, a friend posted a rant on Facebook about people who are always late. 

And, unfortunately, it rang a wee but true on my end. 

And while I wouldn't say "always," I would say "more often than I like."

So, since spending 30 days doing lunges or squats or planks is all the rage, I decided to make a valiant effort to be on time for 30 days. June 8 - July 7.

My apologies in advance to anyone I make plans with on July 8 when I might appear half a day late just to get back in a good rhythm. 

Kidding. 

Sort of. 

So parameters for this experiment... "On time" refers to anything with a set time of when I'm supposed to be someplace. 

"Time" as defined in relation to catching flights is simply making the plane. I know some of you would like to see me say I'll be at the airport 90 minutes early or some such nonsense. Please. Let's taper off the crazy sauce. 

"Time" is also when I actually have to be somewhere, not when something unrelated to me starts. For example, check-in at SN is at 7 a.m. I don't work check-in. Therefore, no giving me grief about whether I'm hanging out 90 minutes before competition starts. 

It does mean that I won't (hopefully) be sending my breakfast compatriot text messages with how I want my eggs from the elevator because I barely have enough time to shovel food in my face. 

Stay tuned for updates ... Or, if you've also got issues in this area, feel free to join me with this one! (And judge away, but this could benefit a solid 80% of you ...) Muahahaha ... 

The Reading Challenge

The Reading Challenge 

When I was a kid, I used to read like a champ. 

I learned to read at some ridiculous age (like 2) and, by kindergarten, I was packing down novels. 

While kids with coordination played t-ball and such, I would go to the library every summer, check out the max they would let me have (12 I think) and tear through them well before my three weeks were up. 

Then came college. And work. And, whether I want to admit it or not, smart phones. 

All of which meant I went from a rabid reader to maybe a couple books a year. 

Which I became quickly conscious of when I was traveling with a coworker a few weeks ago and she mentioned that she'd just finished her 75th book of the year. 

Curious, I pulled open GoodReads and found my total. 

Four. 

In 50 weeks. 

That's just sad. 

And so ... Since it's time to start working on the resolution list ... No. 1 for 2015 shall be to read 61 books. 

This is probably obscenely ambitious, but gotta shoot for the stars, right? 

Today is Jan. 3 and I'm now one down with 60 to go. 

Perhaps that one was technically started in 2014, but it still counts. 

And, for those wondering, Amy Poehler's Yes Please is absolutely fabulous. 

Are Children Property?

As so often happens after weddings, I found myself in a bar after the reception this weekend discussing current sports affairs.

Ok, maybe that doesn't happen super often, but bonus points are always awarded to weddings that end in bars. 

But I digress. 

The Adrian Peterson situation came up and someone made the comment that people find whaling on kids to be ok because "people view children as property."

I was surprised by exactly how simple and yet accurate that statement was. 

The debate over the extent to which corporal punishment is appropriate always boils down to ... "It's my kid, I'll do what I want" and "Who are you to tell me what I can and can't do to punish my child?"

People can go at it for hours about this topic, but doesn't it really just boil down to property? 

Little Bobby is mine. End of argument. 

But why kids and nothing else?

If you said "She's my girlfriend, I'll discipline her as I choose," you'd be an asshole. 

Clearly Ray Rice has already shown us that most people agree that you shouldn't hit women. 

But say that you shouldn't hit, spank, whip or whatever verb you want to use a 4-year-old and now there's an argument to be had.

People on one side will say that those who physically punish kids are child abusers.

Those on the other side complain that kids who aren't hit lack discipline and are spoiled brats. 

But why is it that children are the only things in the world you can say that about? 

Go ahead. 

Try and justify taking a belt or "switch" to your dog. 

Or cat.

Or girlfriend. (Minus the 50 Shades stuff if that's how you roll.) 

How about your employees? They're kinda like property. I mean you pay for them, right? 

What? That's ridiculous? 

But hitting a 4-year-old is ok? 

Not even if you consider your child property. Sorry folks. 

It would be nice if the level of outrage leveled at Ray Rice was directed at Adrian Peterson, but it won't happen. Not long-term. 

Michael Vick will forever be the guy who tortured dogs. 

But Peterson? This will be a wiki subhead in five years and that's all. 

Here's to hoping he's been setting aside some of his NFL paycheck for that kid's future therapy bills. 

It will definitely be needed. 

 

Is Your Adult Self Better?

It's that time of year when folks start posting about high school reunions which got me to thinking ... 

There appears to be two main schools of thought on the subject of high school.

The first is that "those were the best years of my life." 

The second is that we're all better people now than we were in high school.

And some folks subscribe to both theories. 

It comes as a big surprise to most people that I liked high school. Not in the "OMG I'm the prom queen and these are my 57 best friends" kind of way, but in a "I had friends and, though I would never do it again, I had fun and don't need therapy years later" kind of way. 

And seeing a group of high school friends is on the list of high points every time I go home. 

But people who refer to high school as "the best years of our lives" will forever freak me out. 

Not only because it wasn't that great, but because that implies that we've all maxed out. That everything else is all downhill. But shouldn't there always be a next thing you're looking forward to that's going to be amazing? Whether it's having kids or getting rid of your kids or going to some new country, isn't that the point of it all is that the next best thing could be right around the corner? 

And while I'm rambling, here's another one I'm stuck on ... 

Have we all actually changed since high school? Clearly we have (hopefully) in some way, shape or form. But are we really that different? 

Everyone likes to believe that we're all different 15 it 20 years later, but is that actually true or is it just that our stories change, but we're still fundamentally the same, personality-wise as when we were 15, 10 or, as some research implies, five?

There's no real answer to this question, so I'll just let my five blog readers ponder that ... 

French Fry Heaven

Even in my "arts and entertainment" days, I'm not sure I ever wrote a food review. 

That said, I got so many texts, FB messages and comments about my trip to French Fry Heaven that I felt that a blog might be necessary. 

So, first the basics ... 

French Fry Heaven opened on Tejon (our version of a "downtown strip" in Colorado Springs on Friday. 

And they sell French fries. 

C'est tout. 

No burgers, no brownies, nothing else but fries. And non-alcoholic beverages. Though, let's be real, if they sold booze people might never leave this place.

This is the 20th French Fry Heaven that's been opened around the country (nearly all by franchisees) and the question everyone asks is "can you have a restaurant that just sells fries?"

I'm hear to say "if they're this good you can!"

There's two types of fries: regular and sweet potato and a plethora of combinations of what you can put on them.

You can also order them "naked," but that just seems wrong.

To be clear ... They're good enough to order naked. "Belgian fried," they're lightly crispy on the outside and yummy potato goodness on the inside. You could completely eat them plain and be happy. But why on earth would you stand in a line for 30 minutes to do that? 

Which brings me to my next point ... The line.

Out the door and down the block. And we got there before noon. It just got worse from there.

Early on in our line adventure, one of the staff brought out salt samples. We hoped they would be coming in actual fries. Nope. 

A guy actually came out with two salt containers and sprinkled the contents in your hand. 

A little weird, but I used to eat salt like that as a kid, so I was down with it. 

We got to try black truffle and bonfire salt. 

As could be expected, black truffle was amazing. Bonfire, well, tasted like licking a burned stick at a campground. 

Next, our friendly French Fry Heaven guy appeared with samples of strawberry lemonade. My friends said it was lovely. I passed and became increasingly hungry. 

After about 20 minutes, we got what we really wanted ... A fry sample. 

In this case, garlic parm. 

Amazing. Hot, garlicky and covered in parmesan that's melted rather than grated. To die for. 

By the time we got inside, we were hungry enough to order both angel (white potato) and saint (sweet potato) fries. Which pretty much translates to "savory and sweet."

Beginning with the savory.

I ordered the Canadian which is pretty much poutine in a fry wrapper cone. The purist in me wants to scoff at the fact that the Candian involved shredded mozzarella instead of curds. 

Didn't matter. The gravy was fabulous, the cheese was melty. My "lunch" went down quickly. 

My friends went with Baked Tater and Chili Cheese. 

Baked Tater is everything you'd ever want on a French fry. Bacon, ranch, cheese. It would be hard to go wrong ... And they didn't. Delicious. 

The chili cheese was also fabulous. The only downside being that, in this part of the country, folks insist on having beans in their chili. I prefer Cincy chili, but acknowledge that I'm in Colorado. Would definitely get this one again.

Onto the sweet potato fries. 

You can get everything from sugar to siracha to blueberry on the sweet potato fries. Some of which looked a little weird, but something for everyone I suppose. 

I went with the St. Mick. Sugar and cinnamon. They were pretty well coated in the stuff which I was a bit leery of. I shouldn't have been because these guys are pros and it was a great combination. Not too sweet, but clearly a "dessert fry." 

Amanda bought the Festival fries. Meant to taste like a funnel cake with sweet potato, they were covered in vanilla sauce and powdered sugar. They weren't my favorite, to be honest, but, if someone handed me a cup of them, I wouldn't turn them down either. 

After 30 minutes of waiting, I can say the fries were well worth it. And, once you finally get inside, you discover that the staff is friendly and the orders are filled super fast. Which is refreshing to see, but also means that there was no way to speed up that line. 

The only downside is that the location is super small. They claim there's less than 10 seats total. I'd guess around eight. 

It was a beautiful day, so it didn't matter, but it could get interesting when winter comes. 

Otherwise, their only misstep is that French Fry Heaven is only open until midnight on the weekends. 

One could only imagine how much money could be made if they stayed open until at least 2 because what would be better after a night at the bar than a menu full of fries?