Day 176 is a minimalist

So this is what I'll be living out of for the next week until I get to Chicago and am reunited with my belongings. Aren't you so jealous that you too don't get to live out of a suitcase for six days? I'm pretty surprised a week's worth of life fit in here, to be honest. I'm sure I forgot some things, but it's a bit too late for that now. Tonight is our last night in this apartment. Sadness. But new adventures await! Onward!

Day 176 in Asbury Park

This morning my friend Emily met me at Asbury Park. We relaxed on the beach for hours. It was amazing. The weather was beautiful and the water felt great. Plus we had the good fortune of missing the rain! Although, I now have the most splotchy sunburn I think I've ever had. Yikes. After lounging in the sun we drove over to Avon to buy baked goods from The Macaroon Shop. Yes, we literally went out of our way for their treats - and it was worth it. On our way back we stopped to check out a "Strawberry Festival" that turned out to be some weird church revival type thing. It felt like an alternate universe. But we made it out alive and back to Asbury Park to have dinner at the restaurant to the immediate left of the flag. I thought this rainbow flag was appropriate, given the recent ruling in New York! So, now I'm home, sunburnt, tired and ready for another beach day!

Day 175 gets nostalgic

I think I'll miss the fantastic little farmers market right by our apartment the most after I move. Not that there aren't more farmers markets in Chicago or in the sisters new hood, but I really grew to love this one. Actually tomorrow we'll be stopping by a new farmers market right down the street to scope it out and help fill an empty fridge with some goodies. I hope this one is just as fancy!

ps. This pic is of the little roasted corn hut in the farmers market parking lot. Corn Roasted Corn, kids! Or is it Corn, Roasted Corn. I always wonder.

Day 175 gets ready for the beach

Tomorrow morning I'm waking up bright and early to go to the beach! Asbury Park and maybe Belmar, to be exact. I couldn't be more excited, impending rain be damned. Packing-wise I got as far as my bathing suit, a change of clothes, and beach reading before I realized that I really just need a good night's sleep. Hopefully my day trip will also mean fun photo ops for Day 176!

Day 174 stands out a bit

Driving around in my sisters new hood today, we passed by this gorgeous piece of artwork. When you see it in real life, it's pretty intense. It doesn't match the neighborhood at all. Right after this is an entire street of Safeways and Walgreens and Farmers Market type spots. So this guy right here... he stands out a bit. Which is probably why I like it so much. Quirky Seattle at it's finest.

Day 174 waiting on the railroad

I have to pass train tracks on my route to work. Even though I'm rarely out at the same time, I tend to get stuck waiting either on my way home or out on an errand; in today's case, the latter. On my way to the bank I sat parked, waiting on the slowest-moving freight train of all time. I waited for nearly twenty minutes, in which time I made a list of the pros and cons of waiting for a freight train. Cons: worrying about not getting to the bank before it closed (I did make it), forgetting my phone at the office. Pros: reading fun graffiti ("whiskey," "bacon"), subsequently getting ideas for tags, remembering my camera.

Day 173 made it work!

Today was "get shit done" day. I packed, I weighed boxes, I survived a torturous customer service experience at the Renton Walmart (here on out to be known as the seventh circle of hell), had some strawberry ice cream and apparently - lived to tell the tale. Barely. Amidst this adventure, I found this curious snack. I had never seen this packaging before - most candy packaging sticks to reds, yellows and browns - but not this Zero bar. And can we please discuss what it actually is?? Sounds amazing. Has anyone ever had these before?? Or even seen them anywhere ever?? You must tell me so I can know if I made the right decision not to buy it!

Day 173 survived the fog

I'm scared! My friends and I went to the driving range again tonight. It was incredibly foggy on the course. This photo doesn't really do justice to the eerie scene. The mist kept rolling towards us. I was worried that I was about to star in a horror movie.

Day 172 will make it work

So I got hit with a swift dose of reality today. My sis helped me pack a few more boxes and for whatever reason, anxiety set in. I'm starting to realize how wild it is that just last year I was doing this exact same thing as I prepped to move to Seattle. I wish I could say moving gets easier each time you do it, but so far it hasn't. That sound the big roll of packing tape makes when you're putting a box together? Still makes me cringe. That realization that you have way too many pairs of jeans? Still real. The worry that every single dish you're packing will arrive in a million pieces? Overwhelming. I've got exactly one day to finalize my packing before I have to ship these boxes and I'm not so sure it's gonna get done in time. But in the words of the genius Mr. Gunn - "Make it work!". And so make it work, I shall.

Day 172 was ambushed!

After sitting in front of a computer for what seemed like two days straight (and surviving!), I desperately needed some fresh air. My mom and I went for a walk after dinner. I saw this pretty rose creeping out of someone's fence and decided to take a snapshot. But what is this? My goofy mother and her shadow puppets crept in my photo, much like that little rose out of the fence. The photo is better this way.

Day 171 has an ouchy

I had to make a return trip to the dentist today, where I saw this sign. It's so happy, right? Can we all agree that it's not the pain at the dentist that sucks, it's the noises. The drilling and the grinding and the suction... good god, the sounds are the worse! Thankfully this was quick. And now that it's been a few hours, the throbbing has gone down a bit and the area has stopped bleeding. Victory! But I do have to go back in a few weeks to get these pesky wisdom teeth out. That recovery isn't gonna be so easy...

Day 171 does her homework

Over the past several days I've learned a thing or two about my work habits: I hate deadlines and I'm a really slow writer. I am writing five city guides for work, nothing overly creative or time-consuming - or so I thought. I spent almost two hours this afternoon writing 250 words. That's bad, folks. Knowing how much I have to do by the close of tomorrow, I spent the entire evening researching and writing. The worst part? I'm nowhere near done. My brain is beyond fried and I desperately want to go to bed. I wish I could put this in as overtime...

Day 170 is rocking it

The concession stand line at the movies today was ridiculous. I waited 10 minutes to get a small soda. I didn't feel like playing angry birds and there wasn't enough internet for Words with Friends so I was bored. I did have my phone camera though, so obviously I took a few pics while waiting. This is my favorite. This kid was rocking those crocs like it was no ones business. He wore them, I heard him tell his Dad, because they were green just like the Green Lantern. Adorable, kid. I don't think the Green Lantern wore crocs, but I like where your heads at. Rock on.

Also, I don't think I realized how often the sis and I go to the movies on Sunday until this blog happened. What can I say? We like our movie days. :)

Day 170 is one of my favorites

My "Talk To Me" shirt is one of my two favorite t shirts. Maybe my other favorite will show up in another post someday. I'm not promising anything. This shirt is so comfortable. The fabric is really soft and thin from repeat washes. It's riddled with holes. Direct your attention to the sign for "p," for an example. Because of this I rarely wear it. Since I stole it from my dad years ago, I thought today would be an appropriate day to model it. Happy Father's Day dad, thanks for letting me help myself to your possessions!

Day 169 doesn't want this...

Yesterday's pic was an example of the type of treasures I enjoy finding. Today's pic... not so much. Phase 1 of moving the sis into her new place happened today. Before we even thought about unpacking anything, we decided that the kitchen needed to be cleaned more completely. We found things in that fridge that just... aren't... I can't even.... it was gross. So so gross. This is the most mild of the finds. It's an egg (I think). It was harder than brick and smelled like rotten eggs but times a million. You looked at it and the smell instantly consumed your nostrils. Yay moving! Good thing we kick ass as a cleaning crew. We had that kitchen smelling fresh and sparkling clean in just about an hour. Phew! But still sometimes, when I look at this pic, the smell haunts me. Does anyone know what this thing is??

Day 169 isn't very interesting

I bought this at a flea market this morning. It looks like a cute mini wallet, but it's actually a key holder. Fun story, huh? What can I say - I think I'm getting photographer's block.

Day 168 found the treasure!

You. Guys. Look what we found!! Probably the only good thing about packing is sometimes finding really cool stuff that you forgot you owned. Have I ever sat down this past year and thought "Man, I wish I could play Super Mario Brothers right now."? Actually, yes, I have. My favorite childhood memory was the summer between 4th and 5th grade, playing Nintendo games with my grandma, my sister and my cousin until 6 in the morning. We would play for hours and hours, never getting tired. My grandma would run down to make us popcorn and sandwiches and we'd stay up till all hours of the night playing. Then we'd sleep for a bit and get up and go to the pool for the rest of the afternoon. Best summer ever. This brought back all those great memories. What I'd give for my old Nintendo station today!

ps. This is what it looked like. Who remembers these?? Also did anyone ever play Bomberman or Zelda?? Other great childhood favorites. If anyone still has these, you are obligated to schedule a play session immediately.

Day 168 on the range

Tonight I had my first driving range experience. My friend and I decided to go after commiserating about our rough weeks over dinner. We thought it would be a great way to get out some aggression. And it was! I was pretty terrible, but it was really fun. That's all that matters, right? Snipes, which also has minigolf, is about five minutes from my house. I think I might have found my new favorite summer activity.

Day 167 is downsizing

The packing. It has begun. Well, my packing that is. So far it's been apartment stuff that will be going with the sis to her new place. But tonight I bit the bullet, made some boxes and rolled up my clothes like it was my job. I'm surprised to say I may just be moving to Chicago with 4 boxes and 2 suitcases. That's my current guess. My closet is 70% packed and I've only filled 1.5 boxes. I'm feeling very good about this packing light business. I guess after 3 moves to 3 different cities I'm finally getting good at this.

Day 167 had a dessert experience

This right here is one of the most delicious things I've ever eaten. It's a Cannoli Cupcake from Felix's Caketeria in Newtown. I went during my lunch break with my co-workers. Somehow I had enough self-control to wait until I got back to the office to devour my cupcake. The cake tasted like a sugar cookie - I don't know how this is even possible. The frosting was a rich yet light chocolate buttercream. It was topped with cannoli crust, chocolate chips, and chocolate drizzle. In case this doesn't sound amazing enough, there was a surprise filling. Any guesses? Hint: it's the part of the cannoli I haven't mentioned yet. Yep. It was filled with a perfect amount of cannoli cream. I'm still trying to process the amazing dessert experience I had. Afterwards I kind of felt like I was going to die, but it was totally worth it. I want to take everyone I know to Felix's to sample a treat for themselves.