Newest Curse Word: Nor'Easter

all was well in the world until Mother Nature paid us an angry visit on Friday night into Saturday this weekend. Mother Nature came in the form of 28.5 inches of snow at once. turning out to be Philadelphia's 2nd largest snowfall on record.

the abridged version:

we naturally made the best of it. Friday evening brought the first snowflakes, as well as sushi take out (of course) for Rach and I. we strapped on our boots and walked into town to get tickets to Dear John (don't pay to see this) playing at the Anthony Wayne movie theater. we learned the first and second showings were sold out. apparently everyone else on the mainline had the same brilliant idea of going to the movies on a snowy night. Plan B - we bought tickets for the 10pm showing and trekked back to our apartment.

we then learned our beloved 3rd portion, Rebecca, had her little angels sleeping and hubby was going to bed too. i decided to be brave and offer to drive in the snow - the whole 0.8 miles to her house from ours, so that we could hang out on the couch until our movie. we stopped to get her a ticket on the way and all of a sudden had a girls date night underway.

we left the Nadelhoffer couch early with plenty of time in case roads were real bad and it took us a while to drive that full mile into town. my jetta GLi laughs in the face of snow and did quite well with minimal spinning of tires as i proceeded through areas of 6 inches unplowed. looking at the clock when we arrived, it took us a full 4 minutes by car in a snowstorm. what now? we had our baggies of cheez its loaded in our purse and ready to go but 45 minutes to kill before the movie. ...ahhh Christopher's! you know, the neighborhood bar and grill. genious ideas Rebecca has.

around the corner to Christopher's we go!

Saturday: impending doom of boredom if we can't escape our apartment. no worries, the escape came before lunch.

rachel and i got dressed as if we were spending 2 weeks hiking a snowy mountain. our destination was 0.8 miles away but you never know what could happen between there! we packed all the essentials. 2 bottles of wine (not shown), cheez its, and dark chocolate brownie mix.

we arrived in once piece. after 25 minutes in the wilderness of Wayne, PA.

Sunday: day of digging out.

we got an early start at 9am to begin "looking" for our cars. we eventually found them after 45 minutes of shoveling. after about 42 minutes of shoveling a small tractor with a plow from the middle school across the street offered to help. thanks dude, it's 90% done. timing is everything.

arriving home later that evening, what do i discover? oh the jerk in front of me also dug his car out and politely placed the snow in MY AREA. another 20-25 minutes of digging out needed to be done. again. in chronological order...

so this morning i dig out for the 2nd time, thanks to jerk in the parking spot next to me. as i get onto the highway to go to work i realize my entire car is SHAKING. vibrating steering wheel. i have so much snow and ice caked into my wheels, that my balance is now off on the wheels. awesome. the sun better fix that today.

latest update: forecast = NOR'EASTER round II!!

tomorrow evening snow will begin, continuing into Wednesday all day, ending Wednesday evening. potential of 1-2 FEET accumulation. yes, that is correct. in addition to what we have.

my seasonal depression has officially set in. i'm ready to board my flight to Florida in April. tomorrow. i made a phone call to my landlord this morning first thing at 730am requesting a garage parking spot if there are any available. i'm willing to pay for the entire month today, so that i have somewhere to park when i get home. you know what's really cool? when you spend hours digging out and then "jerk next door" takes your nicely shoveled spot that you slaved over sweating profusely and causing your back to ache the next day. enough of that. i'm done. i quit winter.

there may or may not be another update later this week from the desk of "Miss Winter Hater".

Vegequarian?

that's what i am. i read the term in Women's Health a while back.

i could easily give up all meat in my diet other than fish.

red meat - i have not eaten any form of red meat in over 15 years. the actual thought of eating it makes me gag. the sight is even worse. it's just simply gross to me. i have awful flashbacks of eating my mother's beef stew and meatloaf as a child. i was forced to eat it and could not leave the table until i gagged some down. sometimes trying to swallow it whole with a gulp of milk. (sorry mom!)

chicken - i could easily give this up. i've began eating alot of tofu and LOVE it. this is never my choice of what to order or eat anywhere. i just eat it if that's the only option.

fish - OBSESSED. i could never ever remove fish from my diet. i eat sushi every chance i get, multiple times a week. i'm already stressing over when i can get it next, possibly this weekend in the snow if i order take out. i will walk there if needed, to one of the places in Wayne i love. also enjoy my dad's home made fish recipe from when he makes fresh fish that he caught. i love honey salmon cooked in a pan that andrew's mom introduced me to. i could go on and on about my fish obsession.

hence the reason why i'm a Vegequarian, only eating things that come from the sea. like Ariel, the Little Mermaid who i aspire to be. (not eat her from the sea, just be her.)

Snow Panic!!

i'm hoping our weekend looks something like THIS again! (see picture)

i admit it. it's hit me. the SNOW PANIC. the very thing i swore would never effect me.

we're supposed to get 6-12 inches of snow starting Friday afternoon through Saturday... and i find myself brainstorming all the MILLIONS of things i have to accomplish in order to prepare. as if i need to prepare for 'survival of the fittest'. i mean, we could be snowed in for DAYS right?! with no access to civilization!

i have a mental (and physical) list of things i need to buy and places i need to run errands before tomorrow at sundown. CAN I DO IT? is the question.

- wine & spirits shopping with Rach (i mean, really - what's more important?!)

- toilet paper (not a good thing to run out of)

- mouth wash (in case i use half a litre and can't survive without it)

- shaving cream (in case the need to wear shorts and/or a skirt arises)

- kitchen sponges (so that when i wash dishes, we don't catch a disease from the one currently in our sink)

- milk (a few gallons should do it right?)

- cereal (my favorite "meal")

if i don't have time for anything, i know i'll at LEAST get to #1

i'm looking forward to a weekend of couching it with "the three best friends that anybody could have..." (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Op-4iqRCDV4)

Did you know working out makes you tan?

...well, it does! apparently for me.

the past few weeks at the gym i've had my "gym friends" approach me with:

"you're so tan!"..."looks like you got some sun in AZ!"..."you look tan, did you go somewhere?"

the answer to all of the above is - No. i do not go tanning. i did not get sun in AZ or anywhere else. i guess sweating really brings out my natural color!

another note about the treadmill. i've noticed that i only run as far as i mentally tell myself i'm going to in my head. not what my body is actually capable of. so during my extremely long 3 mile trek, i am constantly watching the numbers tick away... 0.4... 1.2... 2.7 GOD FORBID i surpass that 3.1 mile marker of a 5k, i think the treadmill might blow up! why do i constantly stare at the milage as if something BAD will happen if i just HAPPEN to go further than the 3.1?! i mean, would it be that terrible to go further than anticipated? i act as if it would be tragic, just dying to press that large red STOP button as soon as the 3.1 appears on the screen.

gosh i hate treadmill running. i think that is it. i am just so BORED with watching tv in silence i can't possibly bear another step. i can't run or work out with head phones. i think they get in the way. so i watch the tv in closed caption, while also staring at the numbers of course.

well, it's good to know i'm working on my tan while i'm also working out.

Kitchen vs. Closet

i came to a very important realization today. i was having a discussion with my room mate about a studio apartment i had viewed last month and how it was WAY too tiny but the kitchen didn't really matter. it was a teeny tiny kitchen but i was perfectly ok with that.

most of you should know i spend a very limited amount of time in any kitchen. it's the last of my concerns in choosing an apartment or living environment. this is when the realization hit me...

i looked at Rach and said "i need a closet that is the size of a normal kitchen!" if those two areas could reverse sizes in my living habitat, all would be well in my little world.

if i ever design a home and build one in the distant future, i would have to have a serious conversation with the architect of downsizing the kitchen and using that extra square footage in my closet area.

i have something in mind similar to what Carrie Bradshaw was blessed with. oh how envious i am... i don't care if it's just a movie! i know there are people out there with closets like this in real life! i would be ok with it being larger than my bedroom. i just like organization. a whole lot.

Perfect Friday Night

as Rach and i were chatting before bed last night...

me: what are you doing tomorrow night?

Rach: nothing really. i was thinking maybe a bottle of wine and.... and that's about as far as i got!

me: well that's the plan then - a bottle of wine!

that's right - i'm 28 years old and single. my perfect idea of a Friday night is sitting around watching tv with a good bottle of wine while gabbing about life with my also-single room mate and our other "down the street BFF" Rebecca. the 3 of us generally grab a bottle of red and hit the couch in Rebecca's basement once her 3 precious angels are fast asleep.

i could leave the bar scene in my college years and never return. don't get me wrong, i like a classy dress-up event on the social scene or a casual night at a local bar in Wayne. but i'm certainly not the bar-every-weekend girl. not to mention my obsession with wine. could you see me hitting the dance floor at a center city bar with a glass of shiraz amongst the Miller Lites??

enjoy your Friday night! we'll be enjoying ours on a large sectional couch with a side of brownies.

do i have hidden Asian heritage?

as many of you know, i work in an office where i'm surrounded by Koreans. i am the minority white caucasian much of the time. our president and founder, Tim Haahs is Korean and his wife Janice is our CFO. i've thoroughly enjoyed being immersed in this culture for the past 3+ years and learning so much and experiencing new things.

Janice often comes around in the afternoon offering a slice of a Korean pear she has cut up, or a Fuji apple which is the size of a grapefruit. they are delicious!! my co-worker, Ashley and i always enjoy trying whatever she is offering us. (within reason! i'm still the world's pickiest eater.)

so Janice asked us if we would be interested in visiting the "Assi Plaza" with her at lunch one day for a fieldtrip. for those who don't know, this is the Asian food market where all their ethnic food is sold. Ashley and i agreed, not quite knowing what we were getting ourselves into! but what a fun experience it turned out to be.

i got myself a case of Korean pears. some good Tofu (don't ask me how i will prepare or cook this.) some other random snacks that were recommended. and what i'm MOST excited for - GREEN TEA ice cream!!! ...i'm still searching for the ginger dressing they serve in restaurants with green salad. i could drink it by the bottle it's SO GOOD.

we also took a break and dined in the food court area. i had 2 sushi rolls, miso soup, and some seafood dumplings. all so fresh!! i could seriously eat sushi every single day of my life. i eat it constantly, every chance i get. multiple times a week sometimes.

i can't wait to go back to this place! is that weird? :) i swear i am half Asian. which would explain why my hair was jet black as a child... (see picture)