Citygirl Bites: Milagro Modern Mexican

After falling my ass down our basement stairs last Friday and spending some time at our friendly neighborhood urgent care, I was sore, traumatized and tired. I needed a treat. And, thanks to my fairly new job we had enough cash to go out to lunch at a place that didn't reek of fryer grease and stale buns: Milagro Modern Mexican.

The food was so good that after one meal there, it's already become our new favorite Mexican restaurant.



We had a good portion of their thick, non-greasy complimentary chips and smoky/sweet salsa, and then dug into our appetizer: Carne Asada Fries.



Oh! The toasty carne asada. The seasoned fries. The well-distributed cheese so that every bite has some. The mounds of guac, sour cream and pico. Perfect and very difficult to stop eating.



HUBS feels the need to order chili whenever he has the opportunity, so we got a cup of their Statesmen Chili to share. I simply am not exaggerating when I say that this was THE BEST RESTAURANT CHILI WE'VE EVER HAD. Upon finishing one bite I declared that the next time we're there I'll be ordering a full sized bowl of it for my ownself, and if he wants some he'll have to get his own. I mean, my God, they put chunks of steak in it!



My main course was the Tacos al Pastor, featuring chile marinated pork and grilled pineapple in a soft shell. When it first came to the table I thought the tacos were a bit small, but they turned out to be the right size considering how much pre-food I'd already eaten. Plus, they really mounded up the side orders of Cilantro Rice Pilaf and Jicama Slaw (not shown). It was all so good I die a little thinking about the fact that it's not in front of me RIGHT NOW.



HUBS fell for the Cochinita Pibil Street Tacos. Yucatan style pulled pork, orange habanero salsa and hibiscus pickled onion. What is that, even? Doesn't matter if it's good! I was so full I didn't try his tacos, but I did try his side of Charro Beans. If you've had Southern style beans, these were basically that...but smokier and somehow more Mexican. Amazing!

I really can't rave about the food - all reasonably priced, by the way - enough. If I could eat there every day without feeling bad about not cooking any of my own food, I WOULD TOTALLY DO IT.

What cool places have you eaten at lately?

Music Monday: Sticking To My Guns

Well, I did what I said I was going to do. On Saturday morning HUBS and I got out of the house and visited a couple of farmer's markets. I took a ton of photos with my "serious photographer" camera and played with the photo apps on my phone. Photography is something else I enjoy that's been missing from my life just like writing and running around the city. No wonder I was screwy last week.

Why do we torture ourselves by abandoning things we love to do? I think I get it now; when the world feels heavy, I should run to my hobbies instead of leaving them behind in a whirl of madness. The things we enjoy are around to comfort us, not give us trouble or make life difficult (mostly, anyway).

I also met up with the friends I made online a couple of months ago. We went to a brunch buffet and ate our asses off, which I thoroughly enjoyed. I also felt like a bit of a slob later, after waking up from an impromptu nap taken on the couch. What did I do about it? I exercised! Yeah, that's right. The girl who loves nothing more than sitting got off her butt and moved and lifted and sweat for 30 minutes.

I feel very good about this weekend. I also feel good about keeping progress going. Today I cleaned the bathroom, made a call I was afraid to make and applied for a job I believe I'll actually like. Yes. This is nice.

Music!









Is there anything you keep forgetting that you love to do?

A Little Bit Of Progress

You know what was nice about this weekend? What was nice about this weekend was that, for once, I didn't chicken out of a networking event. On Sunday night I went to a Girlfriend Circles meeting. There were two other women there and we had a good time talking about pets, parenting (even though none of us has kids), jobs and life in general. We even had to be kicked out of the cafe' where we met because we were still there a half hour after they'd closed.

It felt so freakin' good to talk to other women! In person! Even though we're basically strangers! We've already made plans to meetup again late next month. Isn't that cool? I might get some good friends out of this!

I think there was momentum left over from that meeting. I went to a screening for a movie I'm reviewing yesterday morning, and I talked to people! I even got a business card from one guy and sent him an email today.

EXPANSION and CONNECTION can be lovely things.

Music Monday: Yes!

Feeling a tiny bit like a star in my own little world...

Well, today I put my new Do My Opposite rule into practice and it feels damn good! I've been putting off sending out marketing letters about my writing services for one reason: calling the businesses to get contact names and email addresses.

This morning? I did it! I called five places and got contact info.

I realize that for a normal person, making some phone calls is no big deal. But, for me, it's kinda huge. Especially since I started thinking about doing this last fall. Last fall!

Now, I feel like celebrating. Let's do it!

Well, We're Back Into The Week Now

I know. I haven't posted since last Monday. I suppose I needed a bit of a blog break pre- and post-job interview. I was fine until the night before, on Wednesday. When we happened to be at a Cardinals game. The interview was one of those new-fangled group deals, and while it turned out to be a low-pressure first interview, I had a bit of a panic the night before. I hadn't been on an interview for quite a while and had certainly never done a group interview. The "before" was nerve-wracking in a whole different way.

The interview was fine once it got going, but it was just hot enough on Thursday to ensure that I had no way to arrive at my destination dry and shine free. Oh, well.

I was all prepared to post my usual Music Monday yesterday...And then I had one of those days. You know, the kind of day where you start off early, working hard and getting things done and with concrete plans to get more done. But, after accomplishing some hard stuff, you get mentally and physically worn down and sort of collapse into a soggy heap and vegetate for the next nine hours and 45 minutes. You end up eating too much ice cream and too many potato chips and you go to bed with a headache. Yeah, that kind of day.

HUBS and I had a good weekend, though. I stayed up to 1:30 am on Pinterest Saturday morning. He played a lot of video games. We went to brunch at Jilly's Cupcake Bar on Sunday and then saw The Avengers. And, by the way, both were awesome.

Now that we've got a Tuesday evening to contend with, I'm going to make this recipe and get some crap done. You with me?

Music Monday: Dawn Of A New Era

Today has been good to me, folks. How about you? Of course, this is mostly because I got off my ass and got some stuff done. It feels nice to be busy on my own terms, you know? I've started writing what I like to call 5 Minute Movies. You can reach the first of my posts by clicking on the last tab under my blog header. The easiest way to read it seems to be enlarging your page view until you get a good look at it. Let me know what you think!

I've also taken some pro-active steps toward meeting new people and hopefully making some new friends. I signed up for GirlfriendCircles.com, GirlfriendSocial.com and RentAFriend.com. And, today I got matched on the first service to meet a group of ladies in my area later in May. Yay!

Also, the crazy new resume I sent out a few weeks ago has netted me a nifty job interview this Thursday. I know! I haven't had an interview in a while, largely because I let myself rely solely on my freelance income for the last year. I'm nervous (It's one of those new-fangled group interviews. I have no idea what to expect.) but also excited. Wish me luck!

Let's enjoy some nice music now, shall we?

Tuesday Tipday: Christen Your Year...Again!

Photo


2011 was the first time I tried giving a year an overarching goal by christening it my year of EXPANSION.

Now, while I'll admit I didn't do much that folks would consider revolutionary, I did make steps. And steps are important. You don't get anywhere without them, even the tiny ones. So, for just a minute, I'd like to publicly congratulate myself for doing some stuff differently on occasion.

*pats self on back*
*laughs hysterically*
*does cartwheel...in head*
*applauds wildly*

OK! That was fun! You should try it, too, because I know you must have done something new, different or scary last year. Maybe you tried a new food, or visited a new city or went to a movie by yourself for the first time ever. Go ahead, take a minute and celebrate your ability to leave your comfort zone.

*envisions everyone celebrating themselves and is happy*

There. See? It's nice, right? Alright, now let's talk about what 2012 is going to be about. Since I'm still at the infant stages of EXPANSION, I'm actually going to be so bold as to add a goal instead of substituting EXPANSION for another one.

What's my added goal for 2012? CONNECTION. I've talked here and there about the loneliness of writing from home and my need for more buddies. And now, I'm going to make it a priority to get out of the house and actually talk to some people. Holy shit, you guys. My heart started racing just writing that. I'm gonna write it again...

I'M MAKING IT A PRIORITY TO TALK TO MORE PEOPLE. SPECIFICALLY IN THE HOPES OF MAKING MORE FRIENDS.

Egad! It's there for all the world to see! As with my efforts in EXPANSION, I'll tag each post with CONNECTION so you can follow my progress. This post will get a nice tag to that effect since HUBS and I went to an after church dinner meeting on Sunday. Turns out it wasn't quite what we expected, but we went. That was a big step for us loners!

So, how will you christen 2012?

Happy Friday: The Universe Speaks

I am stunned by the universe's timing today. You know how I said I'd gone out last week and laid out some story ideas for freelance work? Well, since I've been blessed with a divine combination of fear and a tendency to procrastinate, I hadn't sent out a single query letter for those ideas.

Today I checked my voice mail and had a message from my editor's boss at the place I've been doing my main freelancing for the past four years. That woman has never spoken to me before, so I knew something big was up. And it really is.

As of January 1, they're shutting down all local affiliates of the website and only using national content. What does that mean? I'm out of what is currently my only paying freelance gig (and my editor and her boss are out of work also).

When my editor gave me the scoop as I talked to her, I'll admit my heart stopped for just a second. But then, something amazing happened: I felt free and hopeful and energized.

Those types of feelings rarely hit me. I was excited. I honestly felt like providence was giving me an opportunity; pushing me to stop using my one job as a crutch and get down to generating freelance income for myself. In the first hour after our conversation I was flooded with so many ideas that the possibilities filled every corner of my brain.

Obviously, I hope everyone who's out of work now can find something they enjoy soon. But this? This is a nice feeling, people! If you've never had it, find a way to get it!

Now, some newness around the web to start your weekend off right:

1) Google's got a new app. I downloaded it today, and so far it looks pretty awesome.

2) Ridiculous uselessness.

3) Oh, shit. LL's giving the goodies away!

4) I wish Paris Jackson all the best. But this movie is probably gonna be kinda crappy.

5) Thank you, Robert California. Thank you.

That's all, lovelies. Enjoy your weekends!

Hump Day: The Revelation!

Welcome back, lovelies! I hope everyone had a fantastic Thanksgiving filled with food, fun and free time.

For the first time in over a decade, PT and I did not make our famous sweet potato pies. Mom just didn't feel like it. She also told me she didn't want to cook anything much, so I didn't go over on Thanksgiving Eve. Then, when HUBS and I got there the next night, she'd made everything we usually cook except for homemade dressing: candied yams, rolls, her mac-n-cheese and home-cooked veggies (corn on the cob and green beans with ham hocks).

Clearly she felt more like cooking then she let on.

HUBS and I spent the rest of the weekend eating leftovers, finishing up my birthday freebie food and watching movies. The beginning of this week was kind of dead; dreary, cold days that are good for sleeping late and lazing around, which is mostly what I did.

Today, though, was crisp and bright. I headed out to my local Panera Bread to get a small lunch and work on some writing ideas that have been twirling around the ol' noggin. It really was a nice time. I got some writing and reading done, including article ideas and a new screenplay that came out of watching Friends With Benefits this summer and finding it inadequate.



While I was flipping through my relatively new idea book I noticed something. All my previous entries were on Wednesdays. Then I looked through my to-do lists that I keep on my phone and noticed that quite a few of those were made for battling mid-week blues as well. Apparently, Wednesday and I have a love affair going on and I didn't even realize it!

Has this happened to anyone else? Where you've noticed that you get more done on a certain day of the week? I don't know what it is about hump day for me, but I've decided to go with it and declare it my ACTION DAY. The day when I'll jump into action every week, if not earlier.



Look at today. Aside from getting work done I even managed to work in some EXPANSION. I sat down next to a lady who was working on her laptop and we chatted a bit about the food, then did each other the favor of watching our things as we alternately took breaks or got up for coffee.

When she was about to leave I asked if she worked out of the restaurant a lot and when she said that she often did, I gave her my card and told her to call if she was planning to come over and wanted a friendly face to look after her things. She took it and then handed over one of her cards after I asked for it. So, yea! I might have a "work" buddy soon.

Hump Day is good!

Music Monday: I Freely Admit That I Didn't Watch The Emmys...

I loved Bridesmaids. Your dress? Not quite so much.


But! I have heard that some cool-ass people won. Including Melissa McCarthy, Peter Dinklage, Kyle Chandler and Margo Martindale. If you don't know who those people are...You should! They are awesome and/or on awesome shows. Check 'em out.

HUBS and I had another EXPANSION weekend, since we finally left the house early enough on Friday to go to the annual Forest Park Balloon Glow. We got stuck in horrendous pre-glow traffic the previous two years we tried to go. Last year we were actually in traffic four hours! By the time we got there it was clear there was no place to park and I had to turn frustratingly around and head home.



We were in the car by 4:30. Since most people weren't even off work yet, traffic was no problem and we even got to park right near the event. The actual glowing was amazing. I'd been twice before, in '98 and '99 I think, but I'd never been on the actual balloon field. I have to say, though, I do have some complaints about the evening. Let's make a list, shall we?

Things the Balloon Organizers Should Know That They Did Wrong

1) Remember how I said HUBS and I got there at 4:30? Well, the glowing doesn't start until about four hours later. I just knew there'd be entertainment for that huge amount of empty time. And yet, no. I mean, aside from the children's area with ponies, a climbing wall and bouncy house stuff, and a team of trampoliners. Seeing as how you have to get there ridiculously early to get in if you drive, next year there had damn well better be a few local bands, some belly dancers and fire eaters or something. Do you hear me?



2) HUBS had wanted to get Rally's before we headed in, but I was afraid any detour would land us in gridlock land, so I didn't stop until we hit the park. We ate at three different booths, spent around $40 and almost all the food was crap. One booth proclaimed to have Cajun delicacies, but their "jambalaya" consisted of half-cooked crunchy-ass white rice with some chicken and sausage chunks and a can of tomato paste. I had three or four bites before it started making me sick to my stomach because it was so nasty.

HUBS got their "crawfish etouffee" which looked so disgusting I could barely stand the sight of it. Being ever the trooper, HUBS finished both things because he was hungry and we'd paid actual, real money for them.



We then tried soft pretzels and cheese from Gus' Pretzels, a local place that's been around since 1920. I will never again, unless I've literally been starved for days, eat another Gus' pretzel.

You know the expression "What's up your butt?", well, I can now tell you that it's one of these pretzels. They were that hard, y'all! And cold. And the little cup of nacho cheese we got was cold, too. How the fuck does a business that's been around this long send out product like this to an event? All old, cold and hard as hell? Shame on you Gus! Shame!

We got burgers from a booth called Elvis' Place. They sucked, but at least the $7 funnel cake they made was rad. Jesus, Balloon People, make sure the highly expensive food is at least edible before you let these crazies in.

3) Last and not least, getting out of the park was a mess. Would it really be so difficult to have some cops around to direct traffic and the masses of walkers?



Phew! But, as with a lot of experiences that don't turn out much like you expect them to, at least now we know!

Now! Some music for your Monday night!

Happy Friday! Meteors And Such

Photo

Ah...Doesn't Friday feel nice? Especially when it's only 77 degrees and we get a little rain to take care of the cracked, broken ground.

My weekend is going to be filled with freelance work, seeing as how I got a new gig for the website I write with most often. And, I was even able to get some additional funding for the new story I'm working on. Yee!

I also think a trip to someplace outskirty to see more of the Perseid Meteor Shower would be fun. I told you yesterday about how I caught it by accident a couple of night's ago and now I want more, baby! I like the idea of taking a nap then waking up a couple hours before dawn to give a sky show a good shot. Here are some meteor watching tips if you're into sky watching.

Are there any sky nerds out there like me? As a kid I was sure I was going to work for NASA, until I realized how much math I'd need to know. My folks got me a telescope as a kid (which I still have, but admittedly haven't gotten out in years) and I've fostered a real love for NOVA Science Now and the occasional book about physics and astronauts.

Also blowing my star watching mind right now? Google Sky Map. You can even put an app on your phone, which I did and found Jupiter in the sky two nights ago!

So, get out there and do some meteor watching this weekend. Dream of the infinity of space, my friends. Enjoy!