Oh! One more!

I also thought this:

Hehehehe... male pigeons doing a mating dance. Dancy dancy... poofy poofy. All over the place! Ewww....

Love,
Katie

Morning thoughts...

Hello Lovies!

I apologize for my absence. Last week was my company retreat, and I was in the middle of nowhere CT without a minute to write.

Now, today I got up early to go to the gym, because my most recent photos have reminded me that I've fallen off the healthy wagon and rolled down the hill. (I'm still GORGEOUS, don't get me wrong!) Anyhoodle... I was up, and I started having all these thoughts run through my head, and I thought I'd share them in chronological order.

1. Oh wow. It's 6 am. Maybe I should go back to sleep. Wait... I'm not tired. Damnit! 
2. I have everything I need. Oh, wait, no... do I not have headphones? Oh man I almost forgot my shuffle... wait... do I not have the right music on my shuffle? I can't work out. 
3. I MUST WORK OUT. Did I delete my workout playlist? How am I supposed to work out without my workout playlist? There's no way I can make a playlist in enough time to work out before going to the office. 
4. WORK OUT, YOU LAZY ASS!!! Okay... genius a Black Eyed Peas song, and just get going. 
5. Is that a man in my apartment? Who in the world is the MAN in MY APARTMENT? Why is he only in his boxers? Oh... Oooooooh!
6. How can the sun be out right now? 
7. Sir, why are you so angry? It is way too early in the morning to be yelling the F-bomb at people trying to clean the street.
8. Take the route with the wind tunnel on the way to work... it's SO FREAKING HOT! 
9. What's my locker code? AH CRAP...
10. Just keep running... just keep running... Hey! How come that old lady looks good in a sports bra and spandex shorts?
11. Let's increase the speed the last three minutes.
12. SPRINT THE LAST MINUTE!!!!!
13. OH MY GOD, I MISCALCULATED AND IT'S NOT THE LAST MINUTE!!!!
14. Jog the last minute!!!!
15. It's a lovely day, isn't it? 
16. Ugh, do I only have eggs at home? Why do I never go grocery shopping?
17. AH! I WOKE UP THE SLUMBERING MAN! Do I wave? I JUST WAVED!!! I'm so awkward. 
18. Is it inappropriate to shower when there's a half naked man in your apartment?
19. OH MY GOOOOOOOD, THIS WATER IS COLD!
20. Ahhhhh... fantastically cold shower. 

Love,

Katie

Soooooo hot!!! Want to touch the heiny!!!

So, today I discovered that Netflix had free streaming of "Gods of Football." All of the rugby teams in Australia pulled their most attractive men to pose for a nude calendar, which was then sold to benefit breast cancer research. (Yay for so many reasons!!!) "Gods of Football" is the documentary of the making of the calendar. In other words... 120 minutes of naked/clothed-but-perfectly-styled men!!!

I was about 80 minutes of giggle-inducing fun in, when I came to the realization that I might be paying attention to a certain feature that most women don't. What might it be?

THIGHS!!!!! I don't quite know why, but the main reason why I think rugby players are the hottest men on earth is the fact that they have outrageously thick thighs. There's something about big strong thighs that just really gets me going... it's actually much more of a primal feeling than I get from any other part of a man. I even get a little hot and bothered when I see big-thighed men in jeans. The way the tough cotton is tighter around their leg... MMMMMMMMMM.

Eh hem... Does this make me weird?

Love,
Katie

ENTP

I have a company retreat coming up next week, and they asked us to take the Myers-Briggs test. My result was ENTP, or "The Inventor," which apparently characterizes only 3.2% of the world's population. Proof positive that I'm as unique as I think!!! 


Here's apparently what it means about me...


"Clever" is the word that perhaps describes ENTPs best. The professor who juggles half a dozen ideas for research papers and grant proposals in his mind while giving a highly entertaining lecture on an abstruse subject is a classic example of the type. So is the stand-up comedian whose lampoons are not only funny, but incisively accurate.

ENTPs are usually verbally as well as cerebrally quick, and generally love to argue--both for its own sake, and to show off their often-impressive skills. They tend to have a perverse sense of humor as well, and enjoy playing devil's advocate. They sometimes confuse, even inadvertently hurt, those who don't understand or accept the concept of argument as a sport.

ENTPs are as innovative and ingenious at problem-solving as they are at verbal gymnastics; on occasion, however, they manage to outsmart themselves. This can take the form of getting found out at "sharp practice"--ENTPs have been known to cut corners without regard to the rules if it's expedient -- or simply in the collapse of an over-ambitious juggling act. Both at work and at home, ENTPs are very fond of "toys"--physical or intellectual, the more sophisticated the better. They tend to tire of these quickly, however, and move on to new ones.

ENTPs are basically optimists, but in spite of this (perhaps because of it?), they tend to become extremely petulant about small setbacks and inconveniences. (Major setbacks they tend to regard as challenges, and tackle with determination.) ENTPs have little patience with those they consider wrongheaded or unintelligent, and show little restraint in demonstrating this. However, they do tend to be extremely genial, if not charming, when not being harassed by life in general.

In terms of their relationships with others, ENTPs are capable of bonding very closely and, initially, suddenly, with their loved ones. Some appear to be deceptively offhand with their nearest and dearest; others are so demonstrative that they succeed in shocking co-workers who've only seen their professional side. ENTPs are also good at acquiring friends who are as clever and entertaining as they are. Aside from those two areas, ENTPs tend to be oblivious of the rest of humanity, except as an audience -- good, bad, or potential.

Now it's your turn!!! Myers-Briggs Personality Test

Love,

Katie

Giggles...

In light of yesterday's temporary and premature quarter-life crisis, I thought I'd make a list of some of the small things that never fail to make me giggle to myself.

- Big, tattooed men walking little, yappy dogs.
- Rolling my ankle in front of a large group of people.
- Strangers trying to pick their nose/smell their pits/fix their hair without anyone noticing, and failing miserably.
- This only happened once... but a couple days ago a woman nailed her son (a toddler) with her purse, and the kid barely batted an eye. I cracked up in front of everyone on the bus.
- People accidentally wearing clothing inside out.
- Open flies on guys who give off an "air of douche."
- The fact that everyone in the office has to walk past me to get to the bathroom, and they are all self-conscious about it.
- Accidentally typing "go tit" instead of "got it."
- Seeing a line outside of the men's room.
- Stupid things that come out of guys mouths when they are trying to seduce you. The list of things I've heard is long, inappropriate, and hilarious!
- Anything miniature.
- People wearing "surf inspired" clothing by Hollister, which is located inland in California... not on the beach.
-  Hair gel.

Love,
Katie

Cupcakes...

Really do make just about everything better!!! Here are some fun ones I've found:

KISScakes!!!

Foodie Cupcakes

GLEE CUPCAKES!!! YES!!!

Love,

Katie

Down the Rabbit Hole We Go...

I’ve been procrastinating all day, and I realized after a little while that it was because I had something on my mind. Sometimes I get so in my head about who I am, where I’m supposed to be, and how I’m going to get there, that I can’t spare a thought for the work that’s right in front of me. I’ve been considering calling one of you all to hash it out, but then I realized that I needed to understand what it is exactly that I’m feeling first, so… that’s where I am now.

What’s been on my mind is my potential. I’m going to try my best to not sound like a whining brat, which I can tell just by my own passing thoughts will be a tight-rope walk. Hopefully you all will stick with me, and maybe you can help me sort it out.

So, I’m going to take a leap and assume that all of you and I can agree on the fact that I have potential… yes? In order to get the ball rolling on this, it really is necessary to relax my humility for just a moment. (Please excuse me.) I’m intelligent, well educated, healthy, financially independent by 23 years of age, and wholeheartedly supported by a family that also fits all of those aforementioned qualities. Besides struggling with severe self-esteem issues for the latter half of my teens, my life has been spared any major trauma that would hinder my growth, and I always seem to find a home with friends wherever I may go. In other words, I’m primed to “be successful at anything I choose to tackle,” as my father has told me time and time again.

With all of this “potential” flying in front of me, I can’t help but be stricken by one, nagging question: Do I even WANT to be this person that everyone is telling me I can be? I mention business, and all the sudden we’re talking about being a CEO. I mention medicine, and I’m a chief of surgery. I tell my mother I’d like to be a bartender for a while after college, and I’m “squandering my potential.” I was recently hired just upon the understanding that I have potential, and I find myself spending inordinate amounts of time worrying about if I’m meeting expectations, much to the detriment of actually doing and enjoying my job.

Now, a consideration must be made. As I’m sure all of you know, since every single one of you also happens to be brimming with it, potential comes with the pressure to measure up. Psychologists all over the world have been talking about the effect of building up children’s personal expectations – resulting in anxiety-stricken adolescents unable to cope with the idea of failure. What happens when the child that has been told they can do anything they set their mind to, finally figures out they can’t? Would it be better if we tempered our child’s expectations, or would we merely stunt their drive? Our generation is full of people on anti-anxiety medication, attempting to quiet the constant playback of the world telling them they have to live up to what they can be in the future, rather then celebrate what they are right now.

I often become melodramatic and wonder if all of my decisions have been because of this pressure, and it goes both ways. Did I stop my course to medical school because I wasn’t sure I’d be the great doctor I was told I could be? And on the other side of the coin, who would I be now if I had allowed myself to consider going to a small liberal arts school instead of only applying to schools in the Top 10 rankings? I tell myself that this isn’t the case, (I loved anthropology, and the fact that I feared medical school shouldn’t color that fact that I chose to pursue something I loved. I wouldn’t have found any better fit than an Ivy League school, because it was filled with people who challenged me to determine what made me special.) but often in my pursuit of self-understanding, I’m not so convinced. Hence, in this debate over what I truly want to be versus what I can be, the lines of clarity are often blurred by not knowing the role played by my fear of failure.

So, shoot to me now. I’m in the kind of job that my potential would approve of highly. Done correctly, I’m on a straight track to business school and upper management. Yet, on days like today I sit at my desk for an indefinite amount of time thinking about how I don’t feel at all satisfied by this fact. Instead, I visualize years of work ahead of me spent attempting to be the embodiment of all of my abilities. I move on to wonder if I’m really just lazy at my core, and no career will fulfill me because I’d rather be exploring, reading, dancing, or really doing anything that doesn’t involve working.  I shake the thought out of my head, deciding that I can’t be lazy if I’ve gotten as far in life as I have, and move on to the next train of thoughts. Could it just be that I haven’t found something I’m passionate about? How in the world do I go about figuring out what I’m passionate about now, when years of education and travel haven’t told me? What if what I want to be has nothing to do with the potential that everyone has seen in me?

It’s then that I start to picture living on an island somewhere, wearing a swimsuit 6 days out of 7, and taking people out for scuba diving trips. Or, I picture myself going back to school, finishing my pre-med credits, and becoming a doctor. (Then I freak out… because that would be a long and bumpy road.) I think about going to culinary school and becoming a food critic. I ponder the possibility of partnering with a baker and starting a cupcake shop. I think about becoming a teacher or a professor. Perhaps I could go back to France and teach ESL. I think of being a travel writer, and weaving my adventures into stories.

Then I stop. None of these things fit this idea of “me” that I’ve been attempting to be all my life. (Well, doctor does… but the general anxiety that ensues kind of makes that a moot point.) What would happen if I became a scuba guide? Would I be “squandering my potential?” Would the knowledge of what I could be take up permanent residency in the back of my mind, pestering me every day? Would I look back at one point and realize that I had just freaked out about the idea of having to work hard? Do I have complete tunnel vision when it comes to my understanding of success? (That one’s a yes… I know that for sure.)

Somewhere in that long string of questions I loop back around and convince myself that I’m actually on the right path. Business is what makes sense. And then there I am… right at the beginning again, wondering if I’m actually doing what I want to do with my life.

So, what do I do, my loves? Do I quit my bitching and realize that I’m living the high life? Do I relax about my job, and instead spend my worry-free time contemplating what I’d really like to do with my life? Do I start looking into culinary school? Perhaps I should just take a Saturday and not do anything for once. It’s highly likely that my mind is just on overload. Or maybe I need to completely rework my values, create a way of understanding that actually fits the life I might like to live. An enormous dose of “SNAP OUT OF IT,” is most certainly in order, but mainly… I think I need to be 23-years-old, and find a few ways to be stupid and carefree.

Love,

Katie

I need rest...

Hey there everyone!

You ever have one of those weekends where you're more exhausted at the end of it then you were before it started? Given how absolutely ridiculous last week was, I didn't think it was possible. Yesterday I even chose to work from home to try and recuperate... only to spend 5 hours putting together furniture. (I twisted so many screws that my right thumb turned red and started swelling...)

What I'm trying to say is that I had a fun weekend, but still can't get a coherent thought together about which I can blog. In the meantime... here are some things I have learned.

- Ikea has good phone service until you hit the actual storage facility. If you try and take a business call there... you will break up every few minutes, and you'll also have to cover the mouth piece every time the speaker system starts: "Attention Ikea shoppers..." It will be nerve wracking. 

- Ikea  is a time warp. 15 minutes on the inside is 3 hours to the outside world. 

- Sting is stupendous in "Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels." Who knew he could be so bad-ass?

- Best hangover breakfast: Cheese omelet with a side of PB&J.

- Almost everyone I know in Boston likes having their butt slapped. 

- Kickball people really and truly are the best people in the world. 

- It's extremely tempting to ignore all of my "potential," and just go and do something that will make me happy every day of my life. 

- Be completely oblivious to boys... and they will come. 

- As long as I stay relaxed, I can kick ass at flip cup.

- I truly do live up to the name Chickaboom. 

- Showers are way more fun with company. 

- Waking up early to do work is a great idea, until you leave your keys to the office at home. 

- Buck Hunter is harder than it looks. 

- Tequila is an upper. 

- I have amazing self-control, until I don't want to... ;-)

- Mega Tots at Trident are not nearly as delicious as they seem like they would be. 

- Using your blackberry in the passenger seat of a car will make you carsick. 

- "Flashlights" don't look like what I thought they'd look like. 

Love,

Katie

UGH!!!!!

I AM SO POOR RIGHT NOW!!!!

Love,
Katie

Pub-Cake Crawl!!!

Hello my loves!

Saturday several members of my kickball team got together for a Pub-Cake Crawl. From 3:00-8:00 we hopped from a bakery/cupcake shop to a pub and back... and it was FANTASTIC!!! My submission for the homemade round marked Week 1 for my baking adventures!!!! I've made these before, but not this recipe, and not this delicious... get ready... it's a FEAST for the EYES!!!

Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes
(Adjusted recipe... hehe.)

Step 1: Chocolate Guinness Cakes - Breathe it in... There is nothing that smells more delicious then Guinness, butter, and cocoa powder simmering in a pan... NOTHING!!!

Step 2: You don't have time to make chocolate ganache this weekend, and last time it turned out a mess, so hide Hershey's Kisses in the cupcakes by dropping them upside-down in the batter before tossing the pan in the oven. One might peek out... but no worries.

 

Step 3: Make Bailey's Icing - Forget to eat breakfast and wind up slightly tipsy from getting a little too liberal with your icing tasting. There should also be a good sugar buzz going on from sampling the Hershey's Kisses.

Step 4: Drop enormous dollops of icing on cooled cakes and spread. Yes, it would be nice to create fun icing decorations, but you're supposed to be in Somerville in an hour, and you haven't even showered!

Step 5: Marvel at how delicious they look, and convince yourself not to eat one. You said you'd bring 2 dozen, and 2 dozen you will bring!

Step 6: Store extra Bailey's icing for breakfast tomorrow... that's right... morning buzz is kind of fun!!!

Step 7: Pick up a cupcake and almost eat it, and then put it back down!!! YOU WILL RESIST TEMPTATION!!!

Step 8: Eat frosting to try and fill the cupcake-sized whole in your heart. 

Step 9: Fill up enormous tupperware with all the cupcakes, put the lids on so that you can pretend they're not there, and get in the shower!!! You're running horribly late!!!

Step 10: Carry heavy cupcakes on the T for your 45 min commute to Somerville. Get confused when a guy asks if he can have one of your "cookies."

Step 11: Eat a cupcake on the front porch of a friend's house while you're waiting for them to arrive. Curse the gods for making it 90 degrees outside - a temperature not conducive to icing staying solid or mass consumption of sugar and/or alcohol. 

Step 12: Try and write a blog post and realize you really should have taken more photos. Especially one of everyone enjoying your cupcakes. Oops!

Love,

Katie

Wow... just... wow.

Do you see the splotch on that girl's boob? It's a tattoo. A tattoo of what? Well, it's writing. What does it say? Why, "FUCK THE POLICE," of course!

Classy... 

Love,

Katie

Doodle-y-doo

Add a little drag queen to your day... it always makes mine a little brighter!!!

What can I say? I'm an artiste!!!

If that didn't do it for ya, what about an awesome little old lady wearing a fuzzy hat and eating an ear of corn on the T??

Om nom nom nom. 

Happy Weekend Everyone!

Love,

Katie

Making a little book...

Starting this weekend, I'll be trying to make a 1/2 batch of cupcakes a week, my guess is much to the pleasure of my kickball team and displeasure of my roommates. Since I'm now amassing a large quantity of recipes, it only seemed fitting to make myself a little book to hold them all. Here's the cover:

And here are some of the recipes it holds:

Blackberry Cupcakes with Matcha Icing

Cosmopolitan Cupcakes

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes

S'mores Cupcakes

Margarita Cupcake

Salted Caramel Chocolate Cupcakes

I'm pretty positive I can get these to be delicious... this pretty, however, might be quite the challenge!!!

Love,

Katie

Funny...?

I typed this smiley face => :'-(

Then I said: "I just realized my smiley face's tears are defying gravity."

I'm so weird.

Love,
Katie

The site of future memories...

Here is a very long pictoral tour of our place at Bray's Island. Hopefully it will inspire you all to make the trek with me sometime!!! (Note: artwork isn't up yet, and if you know my parents, you know it will be EPIC.)

View from the dirt road: almost invisible!

Coming up the drive on your right: Garage.

Coming up the drive to the house.

Front.

Front Porch... still unfurnished

One view from the front porch.

Another view from the front porch.

TV room off the entry.

View #2.

Living Room

Kitchen

KItchen #2 - awesome cabinets!!! (and Mom)

Bar room off the kitchen.

Dining room shot #1

Dining room shot #2

Master Bedroom.

Master Bath #1 (It requires 2 shots... you'll see why.)

Master bath #2 with what I call the "orgy shower." Mom doesn't like that name.

Checking out the back porch before we head upstairs.You can get a glimpse of the paddocks.

Back yard in the rain.

Back yard after the rain stopped.

Now... Time to go upstairs...

Cort's Room

My Room

Bunk Room #1 (a.k.a. your room, unless you're sleeping with me.)

Bunk Room #2 (The beds are extra-long twin so that adults can fit.)

AWESOME farm sink.

That's it! Now when are you going to come visit???

Love,

Katie

Oh so pretty...

I got my hair done last week. It finally looks normal for the first time in months! In order to get it to look normal, however... I had to look like THIS for about 3 hours. I thought you'd all enjoy the hilarity.

My foils match my blackberry. How cute!

Love,

Katie