Happy Friday: Web Wanderings & Panic Attacks

Happy Friday, all my peeps! I hope you're ready for a perfect weekend, because, why would your weekend not be perfect, am I right?

I had a bit of a wrench thrown into my perfectly planned day this morning. I had just finished brushing my teeth when someone called from a company I had applied for a job at last Friday. I know, this doesn't sound bad at all, right? Except for the fact that I have a tendency to over-think this job/money stuff.

After we got done with about a half hour of phone interviewing and I called PT to tell her what happened, I called HUBS. And as I spoke to him, I started to panic.

This hasn't happened since early this year, but now that I've looked it up on the trusty ol' Web MD, I can say for sure that I've been having actual panic attacks. Not just panicking or freaking out, but having actually medically defined PANIC. ATTACKS.


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I know what you're thinking, why would the first step of a job offer make me panic? Well, the job would be full time and require some Saturdays, meaning it would eat up all the possible times for me to interview my chefs and bartenders, meaning if I got it I'd have to stop writing.

And if I stopped getting paid for writing in order to take a "stable" job with a reliable paycheck that I'd undoubtedly dislike, I would completely negate the decision I made to leave my previous job to do more creative, enjoyable work. You know, just for the money. Which HUBS and I desperately need.

All these attacks start the same: a get a bit nervous, then fearful, and then I begin to pace and talk fast and my heart races as I become angry at getting scared and worrying before anything has even happened; I start to have trouble catching my breath and I sweat and talk even faster and start to cry and...You get the idea.

The only thing that calmed me down today was HUBS saying that he'd rather stay poor than have me take another full time gig I'd hate that would remove most possibility of me being able to get paid to write (in the capacity that I write now, anyway). Well, that and recalling the fact that TUX threw up on the living room wall as I was doing my phone interview. HUBS laughed and it was all good again. Thank God for HUBS, y'all.

Of course, none of that panic does anything. Especially considering that within an hour and a half of the interview I got an email saying other people were more qualified for the job, so phew! On the upside, all that pacing (about an hour's worth) gave me a good start on today's cardio. Score!

Aaaaaanyway...On to brighter things. This fascinating place we call the internet has recently offered up some new and interesting corners to explore and I feel the need to share with my lovelies. Do you ever feel like the web is overwhelming? I do. I sit down with a set idea of what I want to read/do online. But, suddenly I've got 18 tabs open that are filled with things I have to read even though I didn't know they existed just moments before.



Oh well! On to linkage and happy weekends!

*Free, downloadable music mixes!

*If you were a reader of Sassy magazine as a teen or Jane as a young adult, you'll probably did this.

*Meet Madeline, she just moved to a part of the country where she doesn't know anyone.

*Make your ideas happen!

*Handy guides to help us navigate the good stuff online and apply tech tips to our lives.

*This movie was amazing and I'll be getting the soundtrack as soon as someone sells it on half.com.

*All the cool business, tech, social media and design news/tips you could want in one place.

*25 FREE calling cards until 9/23!

That's all from me for now, but tell me: Does the internet ever overwhelm you?

Music Monday: Keep Your Husband Away From The Beard Trimmer!

See that man up there? That's HUBS. He'll be largely unrecognizable to most of you now, due to what he claims was an accident with his hair clippers. He walked into the bedroom late last night, took off his glasses and showed me this:



I don't know if you notice, but his eyebrows are basically just peach fuzz now. The damned fool ACCIDENTALLY SHAVED HIS FUCKING EYEBROWS OFF!! The lesson, ladies? Leave your husband alone with personal electrical appliances at your own embarrassing peril. Lucky for HUBS his glasses cover the area enough to make his mistake (fuck all) barely noticeable.

Now, as you contemplate the oddness of the situation, enjoy this video from Peter Bjorn and John:


This combination of song and images makes me feel like I'm living in an alternate universe. In a creepy yet fascinating way. Oh, yeah.

From Philly To The Beach

July 5th was an interesting day. Seeing as how we got the news about Luanne that day as we were driving to Cape May, NJ to do some prime beaching, I thought I'd spend the entire day crying.



Actually, I thought the trip was pretty much over for me. I didn't think I'd be able to enjoy anything for the rest of the week and I was sure I'd be bursting into tears constantly. Luckily, while I was plenty sad and did cry randomly quite a bit, there is something to be said for non-stop activity when you're blue.


HUBS right before we hit the beach.

Cape May is a gorgeous little town. Seeing as how tourism is huge for them, the houses are no joke. Maybe there's a trailer park or ghetto hidden somewhere far away from the beach, but everything we saw was huge, awesome and very well-maintained.



HUBS and I ate at a little seafood place (The Sea Shanty) right across from the beach in a quaint little shopping plaza. The food was plentiful and amazing. I was able to finish my lobster roll, but we both had fries left over and HUBS couldn't finish his clams.



We didn't bring the cooler with us, so we made the decision to hide the fries under a pillow in the back seat for taking back to the hotel (they were fine the next night after some refrigeration). We also made what might be a controversial decision regarding the clams. We wanted someone to be able to enjoy them, so we dumped them on the sand near the walkway that led to the beach. And you know what? Within a couple of hours a gull flew over head with what looked to be a beak full of fried clam strips. That made me feel awesome, you guys!



Also helping my mood that day: the nice lady who was coming out of a nearby shop as we ate, heard me sneeze and said "Bless you." I needed that. I needed the kindness of strangers on Tuesday, July 5th. Special thanks to you, I hope you had a splendid vacation!


A random beach couple. I like to think that their names are Harvey and Sal and that they've been married for 35 years. Free time does wonders for the imagination.

We did some souvenir buying and then hit the sand. You need to buy a day pass, which I believe was $5 each, but it was plenty worth it. I was able to clear my head to the sound of ocean waves, HUBS was able to swim like a maniac, we got some good rocks and shells off the beach and we even saw a couple schools of dolphins before we left hours later.

A Monday in July (In Philly)

I'm going to just ignore the heatwave (Yesterday's high in St. Louis? 104. Yowza McFuckBuckets!) and tell you more about our Philly trip, instead.

After spending a restful day moored to our Philly hotel on Sunday (watching cable TV, ordering in pizza and blissfully finding a gas station before E became unusable fumes in a strange city), HUBS and I took to the streets on July 4 to see what all the Philly fuss was about. Several guidebooks had warned us about driving into downtown and trying to park; spaces are limited, garages and meters are hella expensive and the rules of when you can park where and for how long tend to shift. Or, so we had read.









We were planning on taking the bus into downtown to avoid all the parking hubub, but on Monday morning HUBS just wanted to get going. He convinced me to drive into the city from our home away near the airport. After a couple turns around the waterfront area, we found a spot right across from many of the seafaring attractions. We got six hour parking for about eight bucks. Not too bad, and just good enough to keep us driving into the city for the rest of the week.


Independence Hall





Our sight seeing goals were Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell and any other historical stuff we could cram in during a downtown visit. One of the greatest things about traveling is coming across awesome stuff by accident. Our walk to Independence Hall was more entertaining because of the July 4th parade that happened to follow the same route we were taking.




Franklin Court


Well, now.


You know what this is, right?

We crammed all our history in before the Liberty Bell closed for a special party at around 2 p.m. After doing downtown and heading to a posh restaurant on a sailing ship for lunch (you'll hear more about that later), we drove to Valley Forge.







HUBS then took over the driving and we headed back to our hotel room. We got a kitchenette so we could store leftovers and reheat them. Best idea ever! We had planned on going into downtown to locate some fireworks, but were too exhausted from the day to move out again. Luckily, we found the local July 4th celebration with three hour concert and mega fireworks display was being broadcast on TV.

Leftovers and colorful explosions in the comfort of a cool hotel room? Yes, please!

Just Call Me Gunslinger McGraw

Me, on the shooting range. I am now in love with a Glock 9.

On our way to and from Philly HUBS and I made stops with our friends Zombie Apocalypse and his wife Gentle Teacher at their home in Ohio. They have actual acres up there, and Lake Erie passes behind their house.


This is their driveway, people!

As much as I love HUBS, it was nice to talk to someone other than him. I know how that sounds, but I did tell him that and he agreed! We both have fairly solitary jobs, and rarely do much talking with other people aside from each other. Zombie and Gentle showed us around their place when we got there (after about eight hours of driving and a few infuriating wrong turns that took us several miles out of our way) and made us an amazing dinner of grilled hamburgers, steaks and chicken with tater tots, Zombie style baked beans and fresh corn on the cob. Crap, y'all. It was so, so good!


Some of their ducks at the watering hole.

They have three dogs, a cat, ducks that they use for eggs, blueberry bushes and tons of flowers. They just moved in back in January. The house already had a guest room and a guest apartment with its own bathroom and kitchen. It also has granite on the walls in the kitchen. Swanky! They live out in the middle of nowhere, but it's beautiful there. Being a city person I couldn't spend my life in an area like that, but it's a lovely place to visit.



Even though we were exhausted we stayed up talking for a few hours, retiring at about midnight. The next day they took us out to breakfast at a local place they like to visit Mr. C's Restaurant. The food was amazing! God, I am a true sucker for breakfast.



After that we headed to the gun range. That's right, folks. Gun range. We shot a couple of revolvers, the aforementioned Glock 9, a civilian version of an AK 47 and a .357 Magnum. I did pretty good considering that I wasn't wearing my glasses (the safety goggles wouldn't fit over them) and I hadn't shot since I was about eight years old.


HUBS and Zombie getting ready for some long range shootin'.

The one drawback was that I was wearing short sleeves and an open neck top. Why was this a drawback, you ask? Because the shells would pop out of the gun, blazing hot and hit my bare skin. I even got one in the chest that almost went down my shirt. Yowza! I have a tiny scar on my right arm from a burn mark left from one of the shells. Is it weird that it makes me feel slightly badass?


Gentle, Zombie and HUBS leaving the restaurant.

Marriage Is A Lovely Thing

In the WalMart checkout line this morning...

citygirl: Man, I'm really gassy today and I don't know why.

HUBS: Oh, I'm sorry to hear that, sweetles.

citygirl (with concern): It's bad, too.

HUBS (bugging eyes with his head down): It's baaad, too. Oh, boy! (dissolving into hysterics and hugging his citygirl)

Honestly, is there anything better than this type of freedom? I think not.

Make Money Spending Money

It's early. 5:33 a.m. to be exact, and I've been up for about an hour. Luanne had another, totally unexpected (and expensive) issue pop up yesterday and Shakes (the other stray we took in at the same time) is acting funny and will likely need a vet visit sometime this week. Also, HUBS worked on my beloved Jezebel, but it was no use. I will need a new laptop. Long story short, I was having trouble sleeping as worries crept into my head.

One thing I meant to do yesterday but didn't have time for was to check out Ebates, so I did that first thing this morning. Uh, did you guys know that you can get some cra-za-zee cash back shopping through that site? Magazines.com, for instance, has 26% cash back! That's ridiculous! If you subscribe to a lot of magazines that'll really add up.

As usual, I'm late to the party. But now that I know, here I come free money!

Citygirl Bites! Bar Louie

Someone is enjoying his mojito, alright.

I have never claimed to be a food snob. Some people would actually scoff at going to a chain restaurant, and I can't for the life of me figure out why. Does the place look clean? Is stuff well-priced? Is the food good, for heaven's sake? Then why pretend like it's beneath you, really?

A couple of weeks ago HUBS and I hit up our local Bar Louie for happy hour. We've been there several times since we moved near one a few years back, and the food is always good. Since we were trying to save money, we got three appetizers and shared them. Two were happy hour specials, so they were cheeeeeeeaaaap!



We love the loaded fries, but decided to get the tots this time because we hadn't had them before. As usual, they were super fattening and amazingly good. I only wish that the tots had been cooked a little longer so they'd stand up to the cheese sauce better. Though, it's not like they were a soggy mess or anything.



We also shared their bruschetta. We get this almost every time we go to Bar Louie; it's some of the best bruschetta ever in the history of the world. And, it's served in a giant martini glass! Yay!



This was the piece de resistance. Their mini veggie pizza. Now, there's mushrooms on it, which I despise, but HUBS was having a hard day, so I got this for him. (He loves the fungi. Oh yes, he does.) After picking off the 'shrooms, I can tell you that this was great pizza. Perfect crust, perfect sauce, and the veggies were cooked just right.


The drink in question.

HUBS loves him a good beverage. And, like I mentioned earlier, he'd had one of those shitty days that are so common when you work with other people on a regular basis. He came home frustrated, hungry and needed to get his buzz on. He chose their mojito and was happier for it.

See, ain't nuthin wrong wit a chain.

Happy Friday, my peeps!

Valentine's Day Is For Shopping

Well, I hope everyone had a good (much warmer) weekend and a great Valentine's Day. HUBS and I spent Saturday with our parents to celebrate his 40th birthday. By the middle of last week HUBS was fine with the big day, but before that it was pretty clear he was having a time with the idea of turning 40.

HUBS and I both have that thing where we were good kids who did well in school, and it seemed like a given that we'd do amazing things with our careers. Instead, we've both had a lot of missteps and setbacks and neither of us is completely where we thought/hoped we'd be. I was worried that HUBS wouldn't be able to get beyond those feelings, and I'm really, really glad that he finally did.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY HUBS! I LOVE YOU!!


Valentine's Day was nice in what can only be described as the least romantic ways possible. HUBS and I ate lunch at a Mexican chain we love, Qdoba, because they were offering BOGO entrees when you kiss at the register. We had our good, cheap meal on an unseasonably warm day and then ran around to Walmart and various grocery stores to fully supply ourselves for the coming lean times.

Having full cabinets and a full fridge gives me (and most people, I'm sure) a sense of peace you cannot believe. It's more important than V Day gifts, but I did get HUBS a combo birthday/Valentine's gift of a new video game. Last night he brought me a large size of my favorite coffee and a pink rose. Good stuff.



Yeah, my rose is in a beer bottle. Deal with my non-traditionalism!

There's Nothing Like...

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...A visit from the in-laws to get you cleaning stuff you've been neglecting for months!

But more importantly? HAPPY BIRTHDAY HUBS!!



40 looks good on you :)

Tuesday Tipday: To Serve Man

For years now I've been against buying cookbooks. When you subscribe to as many magazines as I have (ok, do) you get plenty of recipes in your mailbox every month, not to mention the scores of cooking ideas you can find online, on TV, or from the library.

One of my favorite cooking shows is Everyday Food, and I also get the magazine from the library and scan the recipes I'd like to try. I was looking through an issue and saw that one of the hosts of the show, Lucinda Scala Quinn had written a cookbook that helps you deal with feeding men. Feeding men, y'all!

I cannot tell you how much she read my mind! After several months of low-level poverty where figuring out what to cook and eat was a daily trial, I needed this book. By the time I found out about it HUBS and I had recovered some financial stability, but I was still feeling like I didn't really know how to cook for us.

HUBS can only cook pasta with jar sauce, burgers and fries; if I want anything besides that I have to cook, and that's fine (usually), I like cooking. But, back when I was living alone, if I didn't feel like cooking or didn't have anything much in the house and didn't have much cash to shop, do you know what I did? I ate cereal, or a salad, or a sandwich and I was fine.



That won't work with HUBS. He needs massive quantities of meat to feel like he's eaten anything other than a snack. I believe I could feed him an entire box of cereal and a half gallon of milk for dinner and within two hours he'd go "Yeah, that didn't really feel like a meal."

I. Love. This. Book! It's not just the tips and the recipes but the book-iness of the book: the design of the cover and pages, the photography, the heft of it and the textured, cloth-like cover. In the intro she acknowledges that "men eat differently from women." Yes! I thought I was going crazy over here, watching HUBS eat five Arby's roast beef sandwiches with a large order of fries and a giant soda in one freakin' sitting! It's not just me, apparently. Men just do that.

For Tuesday Tipday I'm going to share one of her suggestions with you: serve the man you cook for. I know, I know. He's a grown-ass man, he can walk, you did all the cooking and the least he can do is fix his own plate, but guess what? If he's what I like to call a Hungry Jack, he'll literally eat everything if you let him.

Once I started putting reasonable portions on HUBS' plate, he ate it and was generally satisfied. He rarely even goes back for seconds now. This means that when I cook enough for six people, I will actually have four servings of leftovers instead of one! Amazing!

The long and short of it? If you like to cook, you can't go wrong with this book. If you like to eat, you can't go wrong with this book. And if you're still getting used to feeding a man, you cannot go wrong with this book!

Citygirl Bites! Smoking Joe's BBQ

My lovelies, it's time for another installment of Citygirl Bites! On December 3 HUBS and I finally went to Smoking Joe's BBQ, a joint downtown that we'd been meaning to go to for a few weeks.

Despite the cold and the late hour that we finally got our asses out of the house, I was excited. I luuuuuuuuuuvre BBQ! If would be fair to say it's one of the few foods I really crave on occasion. Unfortunately, after our jaunt to this place, my craving is still intact.

My first objection with the place is that it's freakin' hard to spot on a dark night when you haven't been there before. SJ BBQ! Invest in a large sign, please!



There is a nice atmosphere inside, though. The place is moodily lit for romance, dressed up for Christmas and they even have live music and a bar area. It's more of a BBQ nightclub than a straight-up stuff-your-face joint. They've kicked your standard BBQ place up a notch.



That would be excellent if I didn't think they did it to divert attention away from the food. It's not horrible, but it's not good enough to deal with driving all the way downtown, either.

The meal started off pretty good. We ordered BBQ chicken nachos for an appetizer and they were large and good (though it did take a while for them to get to us). SJ BBQ has three different sauces: sweet, mild and hot, and all were tasty.



I ordered the ribs with beans and cole slaw. Let me start by saying that the sides were excellent. The main course, on the other hand, arrived almost cold. If you don't already know, cold ribs aren't much fun. That wasn't the worst part, though.

My ribs were also incredibly fatty. So much so that I couldn't take a bite without getting gobs of fat. I had to cut around the ribs and remove the fatty bits before eating. Also? Not much fun and kinda irritating. I kept the leftovers but ended up giving them to the stray cats because I knew I wouldn't feel like doing all the work involved to eat around the fat. I'm glad someone was able to enjoy them.



HUBS wanted their small combo platter, but he wanted to sub its chicken and ribs for pork and turkey. They wouldn't let him. Usually BBQ places have a general combo platter where you can get set portions of any of their meats, but not here. And there was nothing on the menu that said No Substitutions, either. That's another strike for them, as far as we're concerned.



After that disappointment, HUBS settled on their pulled pork platter with potato salad and green beans. This time, at least, the main dish was as good as the sides. The pork was tender and flavorful and those green beans were a definite stand-out.

All in all the main attraction for this place is the price. Most of their menu items cost $8.99 or less. Be aware of the live music times, too. It got really loud in there once the band started and having to shout across the table at each other was a bit maddening. (I know, we sound like old fogies. Oh, wait, we kinda are!) If you're already in the area, I'd give them a shot. But stay away from the ribs.