Fruity Flasher

What's grosser than this picture? The fact that my mother forwarded it to me.

Storming

Big News: I finally got a BlackBerry - the BlackBerry Storm to be exact.

This is a huge change from my Motorola Razor that I was embarassed to use in front of the professional world.

And although, I have heard many negative things about it, I decided against the BlackBerry Curve and opted for the touch screen with full internet viewing.

Now is where you come in. I have never had a smartphone. I have never had internet access at my fingertips. And I have never used a touch screen for longer than 2 minutes. I need all the help, advice, and tips I can get.

To all you Crackberry users out there, what are the best applications to download? What are some of the things you have learned since using yours. What tools could you not go without? And what are your thoughts on the BlackBerry Storm?

So many questions, so little time... (thanks in advance)

Roomie Turns the Big 2-5

My roommate and friend since the 5th Grade, Amy, turns 25 today.

Here are some pics:

Just hanging out at the Whitaker Center!

Proof she was on the trip to Harrisburg.

Classic elevator pic... while we were on the State Capitol's elevator.

Being Groupies to a band that broke up.

Sometimes she feels left out (or frequently made fun of), but we all love her.

Happy Birthday, Amy (aka Mase, Mason, Jamy, Ame, Amers, Roomie)!!!

Did you know...

... coffee can grow mold.

This is our director's coffee pot after she was out of the office for a few days. Those round white spots are not non-dairy creamer. EW!

Captured the Illusive

I finally found the illusive shoes.

I have searched far and wide for a pair navy pumps that are not matronly. Why Navy? Because I work for Penn State and need a pair of shoes to match my blue & white attire.

The search ended this past weekend at Nine West Outlet Store. They are just a simple pointed toe, 2 inch heal, but they are ideal.

P.S. At the outlet store, if you buy one pair of shoes, you get one 50% off. So, of course, I had to buy another pair. The second pair I purchased was a dark teal, peep toe with brown piping and brown stacked wedge heal.

My next shoes to find...

A funky, semi-dressy pump to match a midnight blue, satin cocktail dress. The new blue ones might match, but I really was picturing a bright orange or yellow heal. I think a colored shoe will modernize the outfit.

Also, I will need to find a shoes for my upcoming bridesmaid roles. One for KT's - she wants bright, differently colored shoes for her maids at her garden wedding. And Nikkie picked out long champagne dresses for us and I think we are going with brown shoes (maybe bronze).

Happy St. Patty's Day!

Happy St. Patricks Day!

Roomie and I had a St. Patty's Day gathering on Saturday.

Sunset and signage.

Sunset and Shamrock.

That's me!

KT came to town and celebrated everyones' birthdays who she missed with mint chocolate brownies.

Staci and Shane left us their chips ... because they had expired.

The SKANKs - minus the 'N' (and minus KT doing the ushe face.. wha?)

Making a Shamrock!

Blue & White Bayhawks

The Lake Erie Chapter of the Penn State Alumni Association planned a night at the Erie Bayhawks. All Penn Staters were encouraged to wear Blue & White and purchase tickets at a discounted rate. The Penn Staters helped the Bayhawks have record attendance that evening with more than 4,000 fans at the game.

Here are some pics of Roomie and me:

We, of course, had to pose in our Penn State gear with our tickets before the game. I bribed Amy to come with me with the promise of junk food. (And speaking of food, please note: Rachel Ray in HD is on the 40-inch behind us.)

The guy behind me to the left got a chance to win a Harley over halftime. This former Behrend Basketball Player and fellow Penn Stater did great, but unfortunately did not come home with the bike.

With greek fries, nachos, cotton candy, and more, we tended to forget to watch the game, but we definitely had some fun.

P.S. On our drive home, up Cherry Street, some idiot blew through a stop sign, pulling out in front of us. He forced me into the opposite lane and he didn't even notice me serving to avoid an accident. Luckily, I steered clear of him - although I'm still not sure how. Then when we got home, we opened up my new pots & pans and Amy made me chocolate milk (and spiked it! What a good roomie!).

Another Downtown Bar

My birthday was 2 weeks ago; I didn't really blog about it since I had all my Austin stories and pictures to post. Well, I kind of mentioned it since I spent the entire morning, afternoon, and evening trying to get home.

I turned 25 on the 25th of February and 28 hours of travelling made it not a great day for me. But thanks for my family and friends, they made sure I celebrated it in style - albeit not on my actual birthday.

Friday I worked, but spent my lunch hour celebrating with my family. My dad made linguini and meatballs and my mom bought a Cheesecake Factory cheesecake (Yummy!). As gifts, they gave me a funny his-hers mug set (I just need to find a "him" to use it.) and a wonderful stainless steel Martha Stewart pot and pan set. My previous pot and pan set from JCPenney's Phillipe Richard line, with less than 6 months of use, started chipping Teflon into our food. I think it was out of health concerns that my mom decided to purchase this generous gift for me (and roomie). Thanks to my family for a delicious lunch and very nice gifts. And thanks to Roomie for a pink sauce pan, funny day calendar, and beautiful flowers.

On Saturday, Staci and Amy helped celebrate my birthday in true Erie fashion. We headed downtown to a bar - but not just any bar - a NEW bar. We had dinner and drinks at Nelson's Tavern (1033 State St). This new establishment shares owners with Docksider's, but you wouldn't know that from the looks of the corner bar and restaurant.

I first learned about Nelson's from a yep! Happy Hour. It, like most downtown bars, has maintained the historic bones of the structure but updated it with modern lighting, furniture, and decor. Since Nelson's serves food, the dining and drinking area is smoke free, but is has an enclosed smokers' room. And let's talk about the food; one word: delicious.

On the menu there definitely seems to be an effort to keep it healthy and all-natural, with Amish Chicken, Grass Fed Beef, and more. We started out with spicy hummus and fresh pitas; it was incredibly fresh and tasty and was a generous portion for $5. We also shared the goat cheese pierogies in a mushroom sauce. These 4 or 5 pierogies could have easily been someone's entree and were an awesome value at $6. They were rich and filling and the mushroom sauce was served with many chucks of a variety of shrooms.

Amy had a caprese chicken sandwich; she didn't care for the pesto sauce but liked it otherwise. Staci had a huge garden salad with fresh chunks of mozzarella cheese. I had a wild mushroom risotto; the essence of truffles with a little strong for me but it was tasty.

Here's a picture (courtesy of Staci) before we chowed down. I had a great time with the girls and at Nelson's. I would recommend Nelson's to anyone looking for something new in Erie. It has a fun, modern look and delicious food at affordable prices.

Of course, after Nelson's we went up half a block to the Plymouth for $3 cosmos and crunchy, salty popcorn.

It was a fantastic night! It certainly helped end my birthday week on a high note.

Keep Austin Weird

This is my final Austin, Texas blog entry.

"Keep Austin Weird" is the city's slogan and the locals definitely try to keep to this mantra. While I was there, the city was celebrating Fat Tuesday therefore there was actually more craziness going on during the nighttime.

Just a couple of the strange sightings I saw - but didn't capture a photo off - included a man walking around (at lunchtime) with a long, blue, ratty wig on and a man at 4:00pm shopping wearing an Elvis costume.

I mentioned this Mayan boutique in a blog post earlier, but didn't include all the photos. The store had an eclectic mix of items and an interesting juxtaposition of displays.

Where I Slept

I know what you're thinking. "Another blog about Austin. Seriously, KC, don't you have a life?"

The answer is no. (And I still have a couple more Austin-themed blog entries to go.)

I went to Austin for a conference for alumni relations professionals. The CASE conference, which was wonderful, was held in the Omni Hotel of Downtown Austin. I also stayed there for my trip. It was located blocks away from 6th Street, which was great for the tourist in me, but not so great for KC the professional who needed sleep each night. Everyone in the hotel could hear the music from the bars and clubs no matter what floor they were on. Nonetheless, it was a nice hotel and conference center and I thoroughly enjoyed my stay there.

My view from my hotel room and my first Texan sunrise.

I was upgraded to the private 13th floor with a plush king bed.

This leather chair was the first evidence that I wasn't in the North anymore.

I thought the furniture designers did a great job making the guest feel like she was in Texas. This ottoman made me smile as I walked into my room at midnight after travelling all day.

The terracotta tiles in the shower continued the southwestern motif. The sink, with its beautiful granite counter, was the only thing that held true to the adage, "everything's bigger in Texas," because, at 5'3", I had trouble reaching the faucet.

This beautiful glass atrium split the building - on one side was the hotel and guest rooms and on the other were private business offices.

I saw this view everyday as I rode down the elevator. Some of the hotel guests saw it more frequently, since half the hotel rooms had interior rooms with windows facing the atrium

The Capital of Texas

Austin, Texas was the first state capital city I ever visited. Here's some photos of the capitol building. (I didn't go inside. It was 85 degrees and sunny - no one was dragging me in a building.)

P.S. This Pennsylvanian will be venturing to Harrisburg in just a couple weeks (and I'm dragging roomie with me). Check another capital city off my list.

List of Firsts

On my recent trip to and from Austin, Texas, I experienced several firsts. I would like to list them:

First time I...
...flied alone
...had a flight cancelled (twice)
...saw an Orthodox Jewish family
...did not eat cake on my birthday
...slept for only 3.5 hours and did not drink coffee
...turned around mid-air on airplane due to mechanical problems
...drank Shiner Bock beer
...only had 23 hours in my birthday (I lost an hour during travel)
...was in Texas (and Austin)
...was in Tennessee (and Memphis)
...had a row of seats to myself on a plane
...did not see my family on my birthday
...stayed on a private floor (with key access) in a hotel
...saw a colony of bats
...ate shrimp louie
...walked around a state capital
...felt out of place as a Penn State fan (in Austin and Detroit)

Spirit of Austin

It's hard to believe I was 85 degree weather one week ago. Monday night a group of conference goers and I ventured a little bit out of downtown Austin. We ate Mexican food and shopped.

I loved this Mayan boutique we stopped at. I had such character and was a great local find. I took lots of pictures because I wanted to capture the vibe. Here are some: