4 Days in and...

I've really been on a roll. Tonight is my first time volunteering at the Whole Foods Kitchen. I will attempt to be the teacher's prep cook for her sushi training class. Why am I doing this, well for starters I want to know how to make sushi, and for finishers, I get to eat it after class is over. Yep, 2012 is about saving and free meals are part of that agenda. Once I volunteer for 4 classes I get a 5th class free, as a participant, not a volunteer. I'm excited, possibly thinking about taking the french cuisine class. I'm hoping I can convince the teacher to let me hold my own private Chopped competition there.

(Tasting with knife) This puree is a little thick, almost like baby food. The spices were there but the texture is off. In regards to the rest of your plate, I think as a whole it's very thoughtful. It brings me back to a happy place. When a plate can do that, it's a winner in my book.

Here's to hoping that by the end of 2012 I can successfully make a grill cheese sandwich or even better, a cupcake!

Other updates:

I have successfully suited up for 3 days of work. I can't say it's comfortable but I do feel a difference. "Dress for the job you want, not the one you have."

As much as it hurts, I have narrowed it down to 4-5 weddings this year. I just can't afford 8, when you start breathing hard in your fake cube just thinking about it you know tough decisions need to be made.

I am attempting to network into something bigger and better. It's never worked before but it doesn't mean it can't happen!!!

I am taking a vacation for myself. One where I can have a cocktail at 3pm if I want, where I can sleep until 12 but really get up at 9 well rested and excited about the day, one where I can feel like, phew, I'm relaxed AND saw someplace new. If I wish it, it will come.

I hope I don't read this post in 7 months thinking, whoa, maybe I was a little ambitious about the year.

Also, why is everyone up in arms about the Iowa caucuses. It's always been a weird state and hasn't indicated anything in the past. Maybe it's because I've always been a registered independent and have never been able to vote in the primaries anyway. Thanks TN for allowing me to vote this year!

140 Character Year in Review

Well it's been long overdue so here's a year in review. I'm typing from my new snazzy, dazzy iPad so it's going to be short. I've been in the south over two years now. I haven't fit in and I guess it shows. My boss in the past few months told me I should move back up north. I've found a fellow Jets fan but I kind of don't want to claim him. My favorite line of his, not to me, "Excuse me, do you mind if I ask you if you have an eating disorder?" Yeah, this is what I'm up against. He's not doing my state well. I've also been called a NY pizza snob but it was supposed to be a compliment....Even so I have truly enjoyed Nashville as a city. Austin may claim to be Music City but Nashville still rules. Did you know the Nash is the last place to have giant commercial buildings filled with songwriters trying to make a buck in a cubicle? It's one of a kind. Other news, I half-heartedly joined a running group, took hula, sewing and signed up for cooking classes. I lost my 20's feline companion and gained another. Finally, I may not have gotten the promotion at work but I have been on an epic winning spree; jeans, $200 in groceries, fashion show tix, brewers night tix, retweet by Mayer Hawthorne and I got my friend nominated for a magazine mini-spread!

My resolutions as of the today are suit up for work, find a new job, reintroduce weekly Friday happy hour, monthly bunching, destress and continue on the weight loss train. Finally, I plan on keeping up the blog. Here's to 2012!!!

Thieving Bastards!

Dear Editor,

As the swarm of old school cars filled South Congress I felt at ease. They were reminiscent of a time of safety, good fun and morals. The soda shop on upper South Congress reinforced these memories. I didn't grow up in the 1950's but my mother and father did; they told me stories of good, clean fun. There was a faith in humanity. Two people would get into a fight and the worst that could happen was some punches were thrown. Sure I get part of this from the media, like I said, I never lived it, but people didn't pull out a gun and shoot you because you were going too slowly on the highway. Maybe there was, but it didn't seem as prevalent. With the masses that piled South Congress my beliefs were more solidified; families, young adults, the elderly all joined together to watch good music and see some fancy cars.

Riding on my high, we went to Magnolia Cafe for dinner. In my sleepiness I left my sunglasses on the table. I called the cafe the following morning and sure enough they were there. (They are very distinct.) Again, I felt this sigh of relief, see people do care about others! When I finally made it up there the night manager said, "Well they may have been here but they went missing..." My faith in humanity was crumbling quickly. He promised to call the woman I talked to on the phone that morning. By the evening I hadn't received a call back. I followed up, still nothing. In the morning I called the manager and he said to me, "A worker or customer may have taken them." He says this nonchalantly, "taken them", oh you mean STOLE them. When did morals become so fluid? When did stealing become taking, and a fist punch become a gun shot? When was the last time you stopped to help out a stranger? What disturbs me even more is the manager's lack of compassion. If one of his workers is taking someone else's property, what else are they taking? I told him he should have a talk with them about taking items that aren't theirs; he didn't seem to think it was necessary.

Times aren't like they used to be and people may not be as willing to help each other out. As I may never see my sunglasses again, or maybe I will on e-bay, I am thankful to Austin for this past weekend's events. The car show made me all warm and fuzzy inside. It reminded of a time when it wasn't every man for himself.

Sincerely,

Cupcake G

(1st time visitor to Austin)

AH-HA!

I may not be able to Facebook or Tweet at work but I can blog! This is good, considering I have been ignoring my blog for awhile now. I got a job and boy did I forget how exhausting it is to work a full 8 hour shift, without my many scrabble, FB, IM, news breaks. My coworkers are obsessed with country and seem excited to be introducing me to the "wonderful" world of country. They were in shock when they found out I liked hip hop. One of them said, as in rap, do ya sing? She's very nice and very southern, but not the kind that hate northerners, the kind you want to be your friend. Speaking of I have been here for 1 month and 11 days and I am still friendless but I am trying to be positive, I know it takes time. In the meantime I've decided to volunteer at the Nashville Chinese School and it's been, uh interesting. Last weekend I manned the "store," used loosely because it's really a table in the gym at the local middle school. I sold paper, caligraphy paint brushes and Mickey DVD's in Chinese. I actually think I did quite well. I made over $200!! So the principal likes me and said I can come back next week and help out in the classroom and be the photographer at their moon festival. Funny thing, while I was working the table some woman kept talking to me in Chinese, sure she probably thought I understood since I am volunteering at a Chinese school, BUT it turns out she thought I was Chinese. She came over later and apologized, even funnier thing, it's not the first time someone thought I was Asian, or maybe they thought my friend was White. Either way, bizarre. It can be added to the list; confused as Latina and now Asian.

I can't say I am getting used to Southern life but I am definitely entertained. Chik-Fil-A might be one of the best things to happen to the South. They need to be open on Sundays, this religious stuff is really getting in the way of me enjoying an amazing chicken sandwich with pickles when I need one the most!

Alright more stories later but I want to leave you with a teaser. We are on a burger hunt. A burger hunt so big and so delicious it is going to take over a month to complete. *Drum Roll*

We are searching for the best fastfood burger in Nashville! Pictures and updates to come later on.

Faygo what?

A couple of nights ago I was introduced to the wonderful world of Faygo. We went to a Chinese restaurant, well it was more take-out, Panda Express style. There were pictures of food, about 4 tables and real chinese people behind the counter. Which, actually, is going to put me on a short tangent. Last week we went to the San Antonio Taco Company, also known as SATCO and wow, it was interesting. I was confused by the reviews on yelp. San Antonio Tacos scream Tex Mex to me except someone raised in SoCal was claiming it was authentic Mexican. Tex Mex is not authentic Mexican! Ugh. Anyway, we show up and we are handed a sheet of paper outside, you mark off what you want sushi style. I scan the list and at the bottom are chicken wings. Chicken wings? Now I'm really confused. The did have carnitas but otherwise the menu was super basic. Queso, taco and enchilladas. I walk in and hand my order to the cashier. She didn't give me change for my $2.46 taco but whatever, I'll let her have it. So the first thing I notice is the music isn't the traditional tacqueria music. Then I see it. Not a single person in the kitchen or at the counter is Mexican. A Mexican place without Mexicans?? I'm not saying Italians need to cook Italian, Greek cook gyros, etc but after coming from California with Mexican a plenty, I was in shock. The whole kitchen was black, which explains the chicken wings on the menu. Not something you see everyday. The food wasn't bad, the carnitas were a bit more pulled porkish but I liked it. A crew of about 30 frat boys entered the restaurant in suit jackets and shorts. We could just imagine what the drunk crowd was like, I'll have everything and mark off the whole sheet. Which by the way, was also weird. The put taco and enchillada 3 times on the menu. Not a different type of enchillada but three of the same. Anyway, it was an interesting introduction to Nashville. I did find the little Mexico. It's out by Home Depot. Zac's barber had moved here from NoCal and he said when he got here he really missed good Mexican food. He wants a kitchen full of Mexicans that don't speak English and he found it.

Ok back to the Chinese take-out. While we are waiting for our food he spots it. Cans of Faygo in the cooler. Faygo you ask? It's a small independent soda out of the Detroit made famous by the Insane Clown Posse. Violent J threw an open bottle into the crowd and has hoped the company would do a limited edition soda for all the Juggalos but the company has yet to acknowledge them. Juggalo? They are the followers of the ICP, well actually they are male follwers, Juggalettes are the female followers. So we decided to give it a shot. We bought the grape can and it tasted awful. AWFUL. Grape Bubble Yum in a can with a ton of small bubbles. Thankfully the Chinese was better.

If I don't have a job, I might as well blog.

Well I made it to Nashville. The roadtrip was amazing but I'll cover that at a later time. Nashville is a funny little microcosm. There is this dichotomy that exists. The downtown is a carnival of cowboy living, the west end is a college town nestled in a bigger city. The banks welcome back the students. The bar at the Holiday Inn is named after the football team. The city is not quite as southern as I expected, but yet it's completely southern. It's not a southern city filled with cowboys and cowboy boots. It's a southern city filled with frat boys and college football. Little did I know reading, "I Hope They Serve Beer In Hell" would prepare me for Vanderbilt life. I haven't directly communicated with the real life Tucker Maxes but at one of our first outtings I saw more than a few mulling around the comedy club. They double fisted beers and yelled, "Yeeeeaaaahhh" a lot. One so much that one of the guys in the Broken Lizard troupe had to tell him to shut up. This weekend I will officially be inducted into college football: Vanderbilt versus Western Carolina. More to follow on that.

The downtown of Nashville is filled with neon lights and country stores, not like cracker barrel. We went down this past Saturday for BBQ on the waterfront. It was slightly disappointing as we couldn't try any of the bbq. Something about health laws. However the downtown was packed. We were confused until we saw Keith Urban was playing that night, with Sugarland as the opener. Still with the country boot stores, country bands playing 3/4 of the day and bbq every other store front I couldn't help but to feel that Fresno has more authentic cowboys. I gather if you leave the city, the real cowboy life begins. Hopefully I'll see some at the state fair. So far though, I really enjoy the city. I really enjoyed the country band turned almost rockabilly. I loved the cross section of artists. Furthermore, I love the diversity of the population.

Surprisingly though, unemployment hasn't brought the creativity. I've come to realize I need to be busy to function. It's too easy to lay in bed until 11:30, go sit by the pool until 3 and then watch TV and apply for jobs until past midnight. Yeah it sounds fun but it's not. It's tiring doing nothing. It's boring. My brain needs stimulation. I need a hobby, a job and about 4 friends. So hopefully the next post will be a bit more creative and a bit funnier.

Wa-hoo!

Recently some of you have asked, anymore dating stories? Well I figured I should address all three of you here. I'm putting the blog on hold, for real.
*GASP* <------you

I actually put my dating life on hold last year but made the decision to pull the plug recently. No, it is not some, I hate men speech, it is a, "I don't have time and not sure where I am going to be six months from now" speech. Actually my faith in men was renewed recently, courtesy of one of the coolest guys I have ever met, thanks! So I'm in a good space; a good, tired, ready to be out of school and find a new job-space.

Did you *gasp* again? Was it the renewed faith or the fact I'm considering leaving? Either way, look forward to possible new entries in about 6 months from now.

Potential Headlines:

Kristin takes on Tokyo: Tokyo's introduction to the ass clap, white gurl style
Kristin goes guidette for a guido: A guide to self-tanning and Preparation H
Kristin perambulates through Portland: Oh god, what was I thinking...
Kristin's mom wins and holds her captive in SC: A Yankee and a Confederate try to make it work
Kristin hightails it to Hoboken: And wishes she was in NYC
Kristin does Denver: The Jersey girl takes on vegan skinny jeans
Kristin navigates New York: Just like Coyote Ugly but good
Kristin stays in San Francisco: And keeps on dating douche bags....