Crafts, Pumpkins and Pitch Perfect

This past Saturday, Long Island experienced some beautiful fall weather. It would have been a waste to sit inside all day pretending to do homework, so instead, my friend and I took advantage of some local activities. Eisenhower Park was hosting a craft fair showcasing local goods…of course we couldn’t pass that up. When I move out, I plan to decorate with plenty of adorable home made good. Etsy.com, watch out. The UPS man is certainly going to know me by name. As is the debt collector…kidding! Anywho, the craft fair was adorable! There were plenty of jewelry vendors, scarves for sale, cute signs, pet supplies, etc. Instead of purchasing something from every person, I got some hand lotion (totally necessary), a watch (which has broken several times, but you get what you pay for), jellybeans! (best purchase of the day) and some dog treats (for the dogs…). Couldn’t have asked for a lovelier morning.

Second stop for the day was a local church that was having a yard sale/pumpkin sale. We were on a roll with whole “craft fair” thing, so why stop now? I got some really cute stuff from the church. One of them being a hand painted wine bottle that was cut to store candles. It was too nice to pass up. Another bottle with the bottom cut was used as a hanging tea light cover. Welp, found some decorations for the wedding. I mentioned to Kim that these would be used in my wedding, to which the vendor replied “Oh, when is your wedding?” Uh, there is none. Ask me if I have a boyfriend, I dare ya.

Apparently I have to stop making imaginary wedding plans to strangers. Monday and Tuesday we had a work retreat held at Mohonk Mountain. It’s an absolutely gorgeous hotel with an even more spectacular view. Plus, the food was mouth-watering. So, at night I chatted with some hotel staff about how lovely the place was and how I was going to have my wedding here. Well, he’s not in on the whole ‘not even close to getting married’ joke, so he asked when it was. Again, I had to explain that there was no wedding, and if it were to be here, he’d have to be incredibly rich. Which, coincidentally, is what I’m going for. Call me, maybe?

The church was also selling pumpkins. How can you stare at pumpkins for sale in October and not get one? Fortunately, I only got one. There will obviously be a return visit for round two. Kim and I did have a few questions, though. Now, this church had somewhat of a pumpkin patch going. Who had to bring all these pumpkins? How did they decide which pumpkins made the cut? What do they do with all the leftover pumpkins? Does anyone ever pick the pumpkins covered in warts? If so, is that pumpkin edible? Man, that trip was a thinker.

At night, a group of us saw Pitch Perfect, the movie about the accapella college singing groups. It sounds lame, but it’s officially my new favorite movie. If you want to bounce, smile and have this awesome feel-good feeling for an entire two hours, this is your go-to movie. If you don’t see this movie, you may go through life never knowing what it feels like to be truly happy. I exaggerate, but it might be true. This movie has everything: comedy, drama, romance, singing teens/adults, Turk from ‘Scrubs’, a naked shower scene…what more could you ask for? If that last sentence didn’t convince you to spend your money and see this movie, maybe this clip will:

watch it, it may be the best thing you do all day.

Almost mid-October resolution

So the drastic change in posts from South Dakota to Long Island reminds me just how uneventful my life has become. Sadly, it’s still mostly school and work with a splash of friends and family. Pathetic, right? Well, to combat this monotony and new case of seasonal depression due to the overwhelming amount of clouds, rain and homework, I propose a resolution. My almost mid-October resolution is to do something blog-worthy every week. Whether it’s an adventure, outing, craft, or interesting conversation, SOMETHING will be posted.

…I guarantee it. 😉

Wine night

You know what’s healthy? A relaxing night in, drinking a bottle of wine, chatting with your BFF. I wish that was an option every weekend. Now, to get to all my BFFs I’d have to travel across the Atlantic, but for just one Saturday night in, it’d be worth it.

Why is it worth it? I give you 5 perks to staying in:

1. You save money. No paying for transportation, cover charge, your drink, a friends drink, ATM fees, an emergency pair of flats if your heels are sent from hell…just a bottle or two of wine and you’re done. In this economy, who’s going to complain about that.

2. It’s quiet. Once in a while I’m up for the crazy, loud, dance club scene…but not every weekend. Actually, not even close to every weekend. Twice a year, max.

3. You can talk. The ability to have a real conversation is a  lost art. I’ve fallen into the trap of texting, emails, Facebooking, Twitter, etc… But nothing beats the real thing. You see groups of friends out and they’re all on their phones. Even worse, a couple sharing a silent dinner because they’re glued to their portable devices. Shameful.

4. Privacy. In a world where your business is all over the internet a little privacy never hurt. Staying in allows you to have those taboo conversations you can’t have in public and should not have on Facebook. I stress not. Plus, if you’re in a closed setting, there’s no chance you’ll spot any gossips lurking in the shadows. In college, a popular move in the dining hall was the ‘head swivel’ to try and avoid talking about someone while they were behind us. It’s happened before.

5. Don’t have to dress to impress. This may not be a perk to everyone, but I know to my friends and myself, this is half the reason we stay in. Sometimes the thought of putting jeans on is nauseating, especially when you’re not in the mood. It’s nice to look forward to a night where sweats and an old t-shirt are the accepted attire.

Yes, staying in is a dream come true for the social recluse (if that’s even possible). I thoroughly enjoy spending an evening with one person, or a small group, and just talking. Unfortunately, that hinders my performance in the ‘meeting people’ department. Ah, well, no harm, no foul. Life happens. And I choose to gracefully watch it through my skylight while sipping wine and chatting about celebrities. That’s really living on a Saturday night.

Ya gotta give blood

Every few months, my work place holds a blood drive. It’s encouraged to donate, not only for the opportunity to save lives, but by rewarding our donation with a small gift. But I mostly go for the emotional fulfillment as opposed adding a new lunch bag to my collection. However, the first blood drive gave out really cool oatmeal cup/mug contraptions. I had been going through an oatmeal phase and thought, man, that’d be really convenient! Too bad I was busy that day. Ever since I’ve been donating, I enjoy seeing what trinket they’re going to give out next. This time it was a plastic lunch container. It’s not mug, but it’ll do.

If you ever want to feel good about yourself – give blood. First, the general consensus was that I weighed under 110 lbs. You see, anyone under 110 lbs can’t donate blood. Well, that hasn’t been true since middle school, but thank you. Must have been an exquisitely skinny day. The leggings were doing their job. This assumption was made by two male nurses, so maybe it’s a guy thing. Either way, it was appreciated. The man taking my blood also thought I was 19. Oddly enough, I had just turned 23 a few days earlier. Wrong again, bud. Perhaps my face resembled that of a hormonal teenager (which is normal) and that’s where his assumption sprouted from. It’s possible. People always let me know I look young and that one day I’ll appreciate it. Let me tell you, if people still think I’m under 21 at 40, I’m not aging and someone should call a doctor. Then TLC should make a TV show documenting my life: Ageless. Okay, name is a work in progress. It’ll be on after Long Island Medium. Love you, Teresa Caputo!

I apologize for the lack of posts recently. Turns out being home, going to work and taking classes is more stressful than I remembered. Hopefully, my life will become more interesting as time goes on. Before you know it, it’ll be April and I’ll be back in South Dakota. Everyone who reads this will be missing the bison terribly by then.