Day 177

Blurb: This line is a test of strength: how long can you wait to snoop in some one's home.

Backstory: Now that I'm preparing to be a resident of German Village it was mandatory that I attend today's Haus und Garten tour. They hold it every year and about 10 rich people open their beautifully remodeled homes to the general public. It's a pretty big event, last year five-thousand people went; this year that number had to be considerable smaller because it rained for most of the morning, which happened to be the time we went.
I was a little disappointed with the tours because most of them only show you the downstairs and I was expecting to see whole houses. In addition to the lack of touring space almost all the houses were very sterile, the decorating didn't seem too personalized. When it comes to living spaces I prefer place that look like they've been lived in, this could also be because I'm a slob and "lived in" is just another term for messy.

Day 176

Blurb: Happy Comfest!

Backstory: While Columbus is located in a pretty strait laced state, once a year all the hippies come out to play at Comfest. Goodale Park is transformed into a free love zone where people openly smoke pot and beer is available with a few tokens. In addition to these great aspects the streets are filled with fair food (I'm currently suffering from heart burn). It's not the same kind of food you'll see at the state fair, it's a little more exotic and there are some healthy options such as broccoli burgers.
One year I'm going to be a true hippie and sit out there all day and just dance to the bands. For some reason I spent all of this year's festival eating, that seams to be the theme of my entire year. Outside of the stuff in a stick I didn't buy anything else even though I saw a vintage bike I really wanted. So if you have a chance head out there.

Day 175

Blurb: Lots and lots of toppings.

Backstory: When you live on the east coast everything is about frozen yogurt, you couldn't find a good ice cream place if you tried. This is very hard for someone from the Mid-West to deal with because we LOVE ice cream, I think it's because we have lots of cows. Because of this situation I was forced to eat "fro-yo" as a last resort. It's not like it was bad, but there's a big difference between eating frozen yogurt and eating a delicious cup of Jeni's ice cream or Graeters.
I haven't eaten frozen yogurt since I left the district because I haven't had to, I've been reunited with my beloved ice cream. Tonight I decided to relive my District days by going to one of the local frozen yogurt places that everyone seems to enjoy; it's called "Cuzzins." Yeah the name is pretty much awesome.
Just like in DC this place had a bunch of different flavors to choose from plus a toppings bar with delicious pieces of candy and fruit. I decided to go with three different flavors, peanut butter, cake batter and chocolate complete with lots and lots of chocolate related toppings. When I compare this to the places I tried in DC it rates about the same, nothing crazy amazing. I don't think I'll eat it again, not because I don't like it but because there are just better options here.

Day 174

Blurb: It's a great childhood memory that I finally found on TV.

Backstory: I love a good coincidence. Today at work we were playing the theme song to Fraggle Rock, then when I came home tonight I found Fraggle Rock actually playing on tv! This was one of my favorite if not my favorite show growing up. I vividly remember watching it in the hospital after I had my tonsils taken out and in high school I had a Fraggle Rock patch on my book bag.
In case you're wondering the show does stand the test of time. It was just as awesome today was it was 15 to 20 years ago, which was a great thing to know. I mean, the gypsy mother trash heap, the Fraggles, the doozers and those big ogres; they're all hilarious. I think I'm going to start DVRing the show so I can relive my childhood.

Day 173

Blurb: Welcome to my new place, but don't open the gate until September.

Backstory: After seeing this place in German Village for the second time with my mom I put all my application parts in with the rental company. I didn't want to put a picture of the place online because people can be creepy and find my house and find me (sorry, having a Catfish moment). This is the gate that opens up into the courtyard of my house, walk down the brick path and you're at the little carriage house. Hopefully everything goes smoothly and I'll be able to move in the middle of September.

Day 172

Blurb: This is who I had dinner with, not much of a talker.

Backstory: There are a lot of beautiful little places scattered through out Columbus. Tonight a group of us went to Basi Italia in Victorian Village to support the Mid-Ohio Food Bank. This was the first time I'd ever been to the little place but a bunch of the people I was with consider it one of the best restaurants in the city.
It's tucked on a side street in an old Victorian house surrounded by residential homes. The inside is extremely small, only about 10 tables, but the patio is extensive and beautiful. It's possibly the most stunning outdoor space in Columbus. There's an outside bar with a canopy and tables, then there's a small amount of tables with umbrellas. The space is filled with greenery and small strings of light that create a picturesque little eating area. The food wasn't the best ting I'd ever eaten but I'd go back for the patio.

Day 171

Blurb: Don't ever buy this for your children.

Backstory: You've seen these packages everywhere, the Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC or COSI here in Columbus. It's "astronaut" food; which translates into freeze dried packets of what appears to be food. Ice cream is normally the post popular item in gift stores and today I had the opportunity to try an ice cream sandwich and cinnamon apples.
The first thing you notice about the food is the texture. It's freeze dried so everything has the texture of a rice cake even if it's meant to be light and fluffy. They market the freeze dried treats by saying they rehydrate in your mouth and amazingly transform into regular food. This is not true, the little pieces are so dry they suck up all the saliva in your mouth and stay dry as a popcorn fart.
The second thing you notice is the off taste, specifically with the ice cream part of the sandwich. With the ice cream part you get this taste that's hard to describe, it's got a hint of condensed milk mixed with butter, vanilla and some sort of fatty taste. The cookie actually tasted like a bland Oreo.
For their part the apples weren't that bad. The cinnamon was very strong and the apple tasted like a fake flavored apple. For the texture department it was easier to eat than the ice cream sandwich, it was much similar to rice cake. It should be noted that when we asked the astronaut who was visiting us if this stuff tasted like what they served in space he said "No, this stuff is just a marketing gimmick."

Day 170

Blurb: This is Janis Joplin, Missouri.

Backstory: First let me apologize for the poor quality of this picture. It was raining today and I didn't want to take the good camera out to the ball diamond. This is a sad thing because the event I went to today was ripe for amazing pictures.
Columbus is an amazing city and people outside of I-270 always underestimate our potential. If you know what to do you can see some amazing things and meet really interesting people; case-in-point: Bat'n Rouge. It's a softball game held every year during the Pride. Two teams of drag queens compete against each other in softball, reverse softball, kickball and mud ball. Needless to say the event is ridiculous and hilarious.
Not only are the teams competing but all the players are competing against each other to win the best costume. Everyone who's playing has to pick a character, celebrity or theme to be during the game. They must also have a prop to run with during the game. So when you go up to bat you hit the ball then grab your prop and run like the wind.
This description of the event can't do it justice. It's one of the best events I've been to in Columbus because it's so unique and creative. I left right after half time so I didn't get to see the winner, luckily one of my friends was a judge so I'll just ask her tomorrow. I'm really hoping Cher won because "she" actually wore a thong body suit, with an ass tattoo and fishnets. If I can find a picture of the winner I'm going to post it as a follow up because it's something you have to see.

Day 169

Blurb: Call me a snob, but I don't want tomatoes grown in a green house.

Backstory: This morning I decided to hit the farmer's market for the first time this season. I was seriously disappointed in the North Market's showing. They had very few booths and out of the ones that were there most were selling flowers. I'm sorry but when I go to a farmers market I'm looking for an ample selection of produce, especially berries because they're in season.
The last time I went to the North Market's Saturday morning farmers market the selection was pretty good. It was towards the end of the fall season and there was an extensive selection of good quality produce. As you can imagine, my dreams of having a fantastic morning filling my bag with the best food were dashed. I didn't buy any fruits or veggies, just a breakfast crepe and a coffee. I'm going to give the market another chance but not until July or August. In the mean time I'm going to try a couple different markets in Grandview and Worthington, I'm hoping they'll be better.

Day 168

Blurb: People should not make hearts with their fingers. Are we teenagers?!

Backstory: No matter who you are it's always hard to say goodbye. Tonight the GDC/morning team came out to wish a fond farewell to our boy Andy. Because he's a big Italian we all went to the Columbus Italian Club. It's pretty funny because I've never been in there and it's a total club atmosphere. There are no windows, members have a key to the club, beers are only a dollar and people tending the bar don't accept tips. Needless to say we all took advantage of the dollar beers.

Day 167

Blurb: I only go there for the wings.

Backstory: I really do go to Hooters for the wings. Judge me if you want but I do think the food there is really good. Actually, I'm lying, I totally go there to objectify the women (I hope you sense the sarcasm). On Thursday night my dad plays golf which means mom, Jenny and I normally go out to eat. This week Jenny suggested going to Hooters and of course we all agreed.
I've been pretty good on my diet following my two weeks of absolute wedding ruin so it was a great excuse to indulge. There's nothing like hot wings with blue cheese, tater tots and beer. I know Michelle Obama and Andrea Cambern want us to commit to be fit but how can you say no to a meal like that. I'm very happy right now, if you're not I suggest you get some beer and hot wings.

Day 166

Blurb: I don't know why Columbus is so Gay but I know I have an article in that magazine.

Backstory: My final article for (614) Magazine has hit the stands and I finally went and picked up a couple copies. I feel so weird every time I do this because I just go into a store, grab a huge stack of free magazines and walk out. This month's article is about a work out class I took back in April called Pure Barre. I'm pretty happy with the way the article turned out, even though I feel a little silly reading the part about my legs shaking. It's a line I wrote but my legs were probably shaking the most in the class because I'm a little (a lot) out of shape. Hopefully this isn't my last time appearing in the magazine, I had a great time writing the artless so make sure to pick up a copy.

Day 165

Blurb: The search for the perfect apartment takes the next step today.

Backstory: I've been searching for an apartment here in Columbus since January. The search has been pretty slow because I live with my parents, so there's no since of urgency. There have been some pretty nice places and on the other side of the spectrum some crappy places, but I think I'm ready to ink my name on the dotted line. I've seen about ten different apartments over the last six months but I haven't been crazy about any of them.
Yesterday I saw an adorable little carriage house in German Village and I'm filling out the rental application. It's common practice here in Ohio to get your application in as fast as possible then the company takes the property off the market. This is extremely different from DC where they do pretty much whatever they want. Hopefully I haven't waited too long in filling out the application.

Day 164

Happy Monday morning for someone who's off from work. After touring an apartment in German Village I stopped at Pistacia Vera for a late breakfast of a croissant and macaroons. It was a picturesque morning with low temperatures and lots of sunlight, the perfect time to sit outside and enjoy a quick meal. I leave you with this because I'm going to relax and enjoy my day off.

Day 163

Blurb: I'm definitely feeling a little surly today.

Backstory: After back to back weddings I'm exhausted. It doesn't sound like a hard thing to do, but I challenge all the doubters to try it themselves. After returning from Xenia and enjoying a nap Monica and I went out for dinner at Surly Girl Saloon. It's one of Columbus restaurateur Liz Lessner's amazing creations, and it's the one I go to the least.
The food is fantastic and the atmosphere is hilarious, the restaurant is just further up in the Short North than I normally go. The walls are covered in scorpion wall paper and weird pictures with skulls, bones, pin-ups and cow girls. As for the food it has a spicy, south-western edge which I really enjoy. For tonight's meal I choose a spicy pizza with some hot jalapenos and cheese. It was a nice change of pace, plus we took the dogs for a nice long walk afterward. I'm looking forward to having the day off tomorrow so I can just sleep until Tuesday.

Day 162

Blurb: A wedding story, part deux.

Backstory: Today it was off to Xenia, Ohio and the lovely Crandall family farm. Lauren's a sorority sister and she called all of us in to help celebrate her wedding in style. She really got luckily with one of the nicest weather days we've seen in a while; that's a very good thing because the reception was outside on the family farm.
The best thing about sorority weddings is everybody comes into town ready to have a good time. We're all happy for your event and even happier to see each other. Lauren and Ian had a beautiful ceremony and reception that lasted into the wee hours of the morning. I, along with everyone else, had a great time and needless to say I am spent. Congratulations to Ian and Lauren.

Day 161

Blurb: The big day has finally arrived, and as you can see the bride is very nervous.

Backstory: After eight years Brian and Megan are officially married. There are a lot of cute and more formal pictures I could have posted but I wanted to go the funny route. This was taken in the bridal suite after we got our pictures taken and the men were getting theirs done. When you're in a wedding there's a lot of hurry up and wait, and when you get bored you take funny pictures trying to burn off some of the time.
The whole process started for myself and the maid-of-honor just after noon with a hair appointment. It should be noted that I am the worst person in the world at getting my hair done because I never know what I want and I never really care for what I get. The bridal party was at the salon until 2:30 then we had a little down time before heading to the venue. We would normally accomplish a task then sit around for an hour, needless to say most people were in need of a nap.
The ceremony finished just before a huge thunderstorm rolled in and dumped an inch of rain on Columbus. Megan and Brian got stuck at the top of a hill in a horse drawn carriage, but don't worry it had a roof. The weather didn't dampen any of our fun because it waited until we'd all gotten inside. We finished everything just before 1am, with all the balloons and tin cans from the bride and groom's get away car in my SUV. Apparently you can't fit a wedding dress and a dozen balloons in a two-seat Corvette.

Day 160

Blurb: Babies should not wear pants.

Backstory: Meet Logan, he's one of two babies I like. As a general rule I don't really deal with children because I don't know what to do with them. They feel really needy and try to make you play games and I just don't like that. But I like this baby, the only problem is he isn't quite sure how he feels about me. Logan is very into mom and dad but he doesn't care much for strangers, so I'm trying to make myself not a stranger.
One of the keys to liking children is liking their parents and that's probably why I want him to like me. It also helps that he's one of the best behaved babies ever. I define well behaved as a baby that doesn't make much noise, does cute stuff and is cute. Logan barely made a sound until Marcus got home, then he decided to squeak a little, which was hilarious. Plus, Mikaela didn't make him wear pants.

Day 159

Blurb: Happy Rehearsal Dinner night!

Backstory: It's a big week for the future Mr. and Mrs. Brian Smith. They're getting married on Friday, Brian gets sworn in as a Columbus Police Officer tomorrow and their rehearsal dinner was tonight. Thank goodness we got the hottest day of the week out of the way today so it will be cooler on Friday.
It's kind of funny looking at this picture because we all look like such adults. I'm at the far left followed by Megan's sister Sam, Brian's sister Stephanie and Jessica. The future bride and groom have been dating for over eight years, and that's just a drop in the bucket compared to how long we've all known each other. I've known Jessica since I was about six and Megan, Jessica and I have known each other for about 15 years. I remember when Megan's sister was just a little peanut and now she just graduated from high school.
We're all getting ready for the big day, not much is left to do. On my part I just need to paint my nails and sand the bottom of my shoes for traction. I think Megan finished all of her stuff just before the dinner and she and Stephanie are shopping for props for our entrances tomorrow. So, let's get excited.

Day 158

Blurb: We meet again old friend.

Backstory: My friend Kerri is doing a Real Simple magazine challenge called 30 days of creativity. It's just what it says, she does a creative thing every day for a month. That could mean baking, drawing, crafting anything that really gets her juices going. She wanted me to do it with her but I'm a bit of a chicken and I don't think I can handle that kind of commitment. I already have trouble posting on this blog every day.
But I was inspired by her launch into the world of creativity, so I decided to reunite with a product I've been working on for almost two years: a quilt. I can't even remember when I started this thing, I just remember starting it while I was unemployed back in 2009. When I moved to DC the little squares were put in my mom's sewing room where they've been eagerly awaiting my return.
I've decided this is going to be the summer I finish the quilt. It's about time I followed through on a creative project (honestly, followed through on any project). Only a few more squares need to be made then the quilt can be assembled and the border added. So here's to achieving one of my 2011 goals: to follow through more.

Day 157

Blurb: I love houndstooth on a pair of pants, but on a car it's just hilarious.

Backstory: There are certain things that pop out during your day, this was obviously one of them. I don't feel like I need to explain why this jumped out but I will anyway. This lovely gem was parked outside the doctors office when I arrived just after nine this morning. Luckily its owner wasn't there when I decided to grab a quick shot because I would have been a little embrassed to get caught. A delivery truck driver did see me and made fun of me later, but it was worth it. I mean look at this thing.

You Should Do This

I read this website all the time and you should too.
http://ohhappyday.com/2011/06/goes-to-paris

Day 156

Blurb: Apparently I also saw Tammy Faye at Trader's World.

Backstory: I love flea markets and old fashioned junk. There's just something about looking through piles of crap that delights the hoarder in me. So I was ready to go when my parents suggested visiting a place called Trader's World out near my little sister's new apartment. I thought I'd head out there, maybe find some good deals and enjoy a funnel cake, but none of that happened.
This place was filled the all the flea market stuff I didn't want: knives, old beanie babies and more Nascar hats than you could shake a stick at. It was a white trash shopper's paradise filled to the brim with tacky stuff. This is a picture of one of the aisles. In addition to the brightly colored products for sale the ceiling is covered in leis, wagon wheels and signs with clever sayings. My favorite sign said "I saw Tammy Faye at Trader's World," but the picture I took didn't turn out. So enjoy this one.

Day 155

Blurb: This is enough hail to make the dogs and exchange student go into a panic.

Backstory: It started with a few dark clouds and within minutes the weather outside turned into a downpour. The rain was the kind you get in the summer out here in the midwest, it comes down really hard for a couple minutes then stops. Mixed in with the rain came a hail shower that made our grass look like it had icy patches. I haven't seen hail in a while so it was very entertaining to watch come down and bounce off the deck.
The same can not be said for the dogs and Anna. The dogs didn't know what to do so Ginger ran upstairs while Sadie stayed right under my feet. Apparently hail is extremely rare in Germany, so Anna was a little frightened but also interested. She grabbed her camera when dad stepped out and picked up a handful of hail; I thought it would be a good idea so I grabbed mine as well. The big piece you see in the middle is just a little larger than a pea. Thank goodness it wasn't any bigger because there would have been dents in my car.

Day 154

Blurb: I really like putting my face in cardboard cut outs.

Backstory: There's nothing like going out on a Friday night to see Zombies. Amy and I went to see her husband perform in a musical called "Evil dead." It's the musical version of an early 80s cult classic horror movie where 5 college students break into a cabin in the woods then find THE BOOK OF DEAD. Spoiler alert: All of them become zombies except the main character Ash.
When the movie was originally made it was meant to be a serious horror movie but it was so bad it was fun, hence why it became a cult classic. The musical, on the other hand, is meant to be a comedy. Even though I've never seen the movie I found the musical quite funny. There's a lot of fake blood used in the production so part of the theater is covered in trash bags and considered a splash zone. If you sit in this area you get to wear a poncho (Amy and I looked super hot).
I really enjoyed myself during the show. All the actors did a great job, there are some amazing voices in the cast, and I'm not just talking about Peter. Plus they wear these crazy masks and run around the stage saying "look who's evil now." That line is surprisingly funny.

Day 153

If you look at this little thing, it was finally a nice day in Columbus but I didn't get to enjoy it. I worked a long and didn't do anything today. Sorry everyone.

Day 152

Blurb: Yeah that's a guy unlocking the Wienermobile for me.

Backstory: There's nothing greater than seeing something totally awesome in your parking lot. Today we had two wienermobiles at work, one that's specifically for touring another is for grilling. I love the word wiener and I love hot dogs so you can image how much fun I had. They will let you get in the car but they won't let your sit in the front seat, apparently it's liability thing, but they will let you walk around the little riding area. It's a little smelly, kind of like sweat and hot dogs. I know surprising.