I meant to drill a peep hole in the bathroom door

Since I wasn't going back to Connecticut for Easter I decided to keep myself busy with projects around the condo. It seemed like the perfect time to paint my office so I went to home depot to pick out paint. While waiting for my paint samples to be mixed the man in front of me, who was clearly a painter, tried to convince me to hire him by saying it would be a lot less stressful. Well I spent 2 hours taping the damn room so no way was I giving up the satisfaction of painting it. So I try to look busy by responding to emails on my phone and he keeps trying to sell me on hiring him which obviously just annoys me more- sorry I'm not paying someone to do something that I can actually do. After home depot messes up my samples 3 times I finally can leave the paint counter and the annoying know it alls standing there, I ventured over to look at towel hooks and was immediately overwhelmed and had to leave without purchasing one. I put my samples on the wall and decided on a color- a lovely light green to brighten up the space, and go back to home depot yet again and buy the paint as well as hardware for the bathroom. It took me 4 1/2 hours to paint the room, I was so exhausted I passed out at 9:30 that night. It was then that I decided one coat of paint would be sufficient. The next day I pulled off the tape, touched up a few areas and was pretty proud of myself. I was on such a high from my DIY projects I decided to assemble the towel hook and toilet paper holder. I dusted off my drill and level, measured and started drilling holes. 10 minutes and a lot of swearing later I realized I drilled through the door. So now there are 2 lovely holes in my guest bathroom door. At that point I decided I was done with housework. I texted my friend pleading with him to come help fix this situation so he shows up in a timely fashion, aka 4 days later and just starts laughing hysterically over the situation. Apparently me attempting to do homeowner things is funny. I probably would have been laughing over the holes had my best friend from Connecticut not been coming to visit the next day. So he patches the hole, laughs some more and then leaves instructions for me to sand and repaint which I managed to do without harming the door any more. I blame new construction on this one- the doors in my parent's house in Connecticut were solid and this never would have happened there- how am I supposed to keep up with new, eco-friendly trends?

The important lesson I learned? Hire someone to do my home improvement projects from now on. And if anyone asks- I meant to drill a peep hole in the guest bathroom door.

 The damage....

 Freshly painted office

You took me up on my offer?

For those who don't know me I am obsessed with any show on bravo- mostly real housewives but top chef takes a very close second. My fixation with reality shows began junior year of college when I became so stressed that I needed an escape from what was going on at school and the crazy antics of the people on these shows helped take it away. Anyways when top chef season 4 came on I decided I could watch this show and then recreate the dishes the chefs made the next day- obviously that didn't work out as planned. From the first episode I became obsessed with Richard Blais. I tuned in every Wednesday night in hopes he wouldn't be at the judges table and would make it through to the next round. I screamed at my tv like I do when the celtics play when he was robbed of the top chef title and refused to watch season 5 until season 6 came on and the Voltaggio brothers made their tv appearance and I once again became intrigued but was still upset over Richard's loss. Then came top chef all stars and Richard Blais was back on the scene, again I became obsessed every Wednesday night just to see what crazy creation he would come up with next. Obviously Richard won and it restored my faith in top chef. Then I had been traveling to Atlanta a few times and going to Flip! burger owned by Blais but he was never at the restaurant when I was there. I then made it my goal to meet him when I moved here in December, well it took me 4 months but I finally met the award winning chef and restauranteur this weekend.

A few weeks ago I was shopping (typical) at Crate and Barrel and they gave me a coupon because their store was moving and it said Richard Blais was going to be there on March 31st. First thing I did was call Lindsey to schedule going to the store to meet him and making her agree to come with me. Saturday arrived and I was SO excited. I assumed the store was going to be mobbed I mean this is Richard Blais, come on but when we got there we were able to walk right up to him and get our picture taken with him! My dream come true haha. So obviously I was so excited to meet him I literally blacked out during the conversation, turns out my favorite chef invited Ashley, Lindsey and I to Flip the next day where he would be filming for his new show! As if I wasn't already on cloud nine I literally floated out of the store after I bought a bar for my living room. All Saturday afternoon Ashley and I texted over what we were going to wear/say/do etc. Sunday comes and Ashley and I get ready to go dressed in adorable sun dresses- cute but not over the top. We go down the street to Flip and Ashley walks up to the hostess and informs her that Richard had told us to stop by to watch the filming if we wanted (as if we are old friends haha), so we are seated 1 table away from where he's filming and obviously we can't stop watching because its RICHARD BLAIS! Then they take a break and Richard and I make eye contact- you know that awkward eye contact where you have to say something because you've both obviously seen each other and if you don't say something its now super awkward? So I go "Hey Richard! Remember us from yesterday?' and then he comes over and goes "oh you guys took me up on my offer to come! Thats awesome- thanks for the support!" Literally the nicest guy ever. We have a 5 minute conversation for which I was so excited over and if it wouldn't have been totally weird I would have asked for another photo with him but 2 days in a row might be kind of pushing it haha. Then he tells us that by where we were sitting we were in the shot which is so cool and he goes "would it be cool if I brought the cameras over later?" I almost fell on the floor. So Ashley and I try to push our meal out as long as possible but we had been there for an hour and a half and everyone was staring at us haha so we felt it was best to leave at that point.

So this is my post dedicated to Richard Blais- I love his new show that aired last night on the cooking channel (reinventing the meal 8pm EST cooking channel- shameless plug). He is the nicest guy ever and makes time for his fans even though his celebrity chef status has exploded. I can't wait to try his new restaurant The Spence- opening in a few months and hopefully get to see him again and to also try HD1!

Now if the Voltaggio brothers would come here during the Top Chef Tour in June I'd probably pass out on the spot-especially if Richard makes a surprise appearance--all my favorite top chefs in one place- hey a girl can dream right?

Tonight you're rolling with A-town and Gangsta P

You know the night was a good one when you find the names "gangsta gangstas" and "old man" saved in your phone. 

Friday night brought a much needed girls night. After the mentally exhausting and draining week I had, I just needed to let loose, or to have a few drinks, dance and be home by 1am as is typical when Lindsey and I go out. Jamie, Linds and I went to dinner and enjoyed some margaritas and on the way home stopped at Ormsbys, which is my equivalent to the bar on how i met your mother since its across from my condo and I tend to be a regular there. While Lindsey was getting a drink I am immediately surrounded by these two guys who inform me that I must have had braces due to my "manufactured smile". Oh I'm sorry I just have really straight teeth and this set me off for some reason so I felt the need to stand up for myself. Well these guys found my Connecticut girl attitude hilarious and by the time Lindsey got back we were new best friends and within 10 minutes they had dubbed Linds and I "A-town" and "Gangsta-P" complete with photos etc. So obviously we get bored (it's 9pm mind you) so we say our goodbyes and head back to my condo, also at this point aforementioned "old man" texted me saying he wanted to meet for a drink at the bar I happened to be at. That wasn't going to work for me so we made a break for it across the street. At this point in time a full blown dance party complete with Nelly, 50 Cent and Justin Bieber breaks out. Then we decided to prank my friend down the hall who had annoyed me, this childish prank included wrapping his room in tin foil. Ha! To any guys out there- don't screw with me, I always get people back. Our cab arrives and we are still on a Justin Bieber kick (really not sure why) but our cab driver did not share our sentiments and so then Lindsey informed him she didn't like the "bali shit" music he had playing. I'm sure he wanted to kick us out at that point, but he eventually gets us to our destination taking as long as possible of course. At the bar another full blown dance party starts as they played literally every song I could have wanted to dance to including spice girls and michael jackson.I avoided creepy men by literally turning away and dancing off into another direction and just informing every single one that tried to talk to me that it was girls night and I wasn't into it tonight. We then move on to another bar when I get a text from the victim of the tin foil prank asking if we want a ride home, he clearly had no clue what he was in for at that point. So we accept and of course I am totally obnoxious opening the sun roof while its pouring rain and trying to keep a straight face and not give away our prank. We finally get home and I say enjoy your night and deadbolt the door knowing some sort of retaliation is on its way. 10 minutes goes by and then my phone rings so I answer and then have lots of questions to answer about tin foil but I'm laughing too hard- I mean seriously you'd think I was back in middle school pulling pranks on people. Anyways no harm done, now if only I could get away with pulling that on a few other people and I'd be much happier lol. We did so many activities and were home and in bed by 1:30am haha- typical for our type of night. Linds and I party hard and quick- who needs to be out until 3am when you can be all over the city and back home by 1? Also you gotta take a free ride when you can get one- cabs are expensive, its nights like that when you need to call in favors!

Smack Talk

If you know me, you know my obsession with basketball, mainly the Celtics. My passion for them continually grows over the years. Like most people, I have a love/hate relationship with my favorite men. When they play horribly I'm screaming at my tv (a skill I learned from my father), when they're playing well, winning and on top of the world like champions I'm jumping on my couch with excitement. I love the adrenaline rush you get from going to watch the game in an arena, it's completely different than watching from the comfort of your own home. I love getting so wrapped up in the game and high fiving the person next to you who you've just met or the generally harmless smack talk that goes on if you're unfortunately sitting near a fan of the opposing team. When I was planning my move to Atlanta my dad said to me he didn't care what I changed as long as I didn't lose my love for the celtics (see its a lifestyle up north just like college football is down here in the south). Luckily for me the hawks are a terrible team so I didn't see any reason to be worried that I'd stop supporting my team. So when tickets went on sale for the celtics vs the hawks right here in my backyard my heart was jumping out of my chest. You have to understand something, every preseason they play against the Knicks in Hartford. Hartford is a huge supporter of the celtics, and Ray Allen who went and played for UCONN back in the day. I have bought tickets for me and my dad to this game the past 2 years (Courtside both times) and he has had the unfortunate luck of not being able to go either time; once due to a bad accident and then this past year since the lockout was still going on...so I was refunded yet again and figured I'd have to survive this season without seeing them tear up the court unless I flew to Boston (still a possibility). Anyways I get it in my head that I'm going to this game but I figured I'd get cheap seats and drag my best friend Lindsey with me. Well as the game approached and my excitement grew, I was missing home a bit at this point, I bought really good seats, made sure all my celtics apparel was clean so we would have options to dress head to toe in the classic green and off we went. I called my dad on the way to the game and his advice was the following: "Ashley I know you get super excited and into these games but please remember where you are, do not get mugged and please do not get in a fight with anyone" I let that go in one ear and out the other and headed downtown to Phillips arena. The arena is not in the greatest of neighborhoods, and me growing up pretty sheltered was not prepared to have people hasseling me from my car literally all the way to my seat; money, my ticket, the jersey I had on- didn't matter they wanted it. Once in our seats we realize we managed to get pretty good tickets. When the game started I was yelling as usual (hence me not having a voice this morning) and was surprised by the turnout of celtics fans- it was impressive. Unfortunately I was not sitting near any of them. I converted the guys next to me who were from Mexico and barely spoke English into celtics fans by telling them they needed to cheer for them. They clearly had no clue where they were or anything about the sport of basketball. Halfway through the game a lovely drunk man decides he wants to yell at me on his walk back to his seat, I remember my fathers advice and let it go. Then at the beginning of the 4th quarter he is walking once again back to his seat (why bother going to a game if you're not going to watch it?) and proceeds to stop and yell at me that he hates Boston. So I ignore him and he does it again, so I stood up in my 5 inch gold sequined stilettos and yelled back "that's nice I honestly don't know what you want me to say to you right now because I love my Boston men". Then his wife pushed him back to his seat as he was spewing vile slurs at me. I get right back into the game and at this point Boston came back in a major way and Ray was just hitting 3 pt after 3 pt. Then the man behind me leans in and screams, yes a whisper would have been lovely I didn't need to have my ear drums hurting "I just want to effing punch Rondo in the face, I hate him" once again I take my fathers advice and don't pay any attention. Then he does it again and goes "I don't think you heard me" so now I'm pissed and want to punch this guy in the face because he's made his team is losing and that rondo and ray are playing like champions. I also have some choice words for him but the fear of getting kicked out and missing the last minute stopped me. So I instead chose to yell back that he was just pissed off that his team didn't have any championship banners hanging and probably never would since they play so terribly. Then the celtics won, I went insane and we ran to the car before any other altercations could occur. All in all it was a good night and yet another learning experience.

"You need to finish your drinks, leave and don't come back"

Never in my life have I ever been kicked out of a place. So when we were kicked out of a bar that looked like it could stand to keep a few customers I was in shock. Let me take you back to the beginning of the evening...I was laying on my couch watching kate and leopold, drinking a skinny girl margarita and having a pity party for myself since my aunt had just left and I was feeling a bit homesick when my best friend texts me to see if I want to go out. Now I was conflicted- I wanted to go out but I really didn't feel like moving, let alone pulling myself together but after her persistence I agreed. The sappy romantic comedy ended (which if you haven't seen kate and leopold just watch it) and Superbad came on. That was all the motivation I needed to pour a cafe patron, curl my hair and find something sequined to wear. We started the night having to pay a cover to get into a bar- ok honestly who carries cash these days? I obviously had $20 because my dad always yells at me for not having cash so we got in and then the process of trying to get a drink started. The bartender literally ignored us and served everyone else at the bar. When Lindsey asked for a beer he said she had to go downstairs to get it and then moved on to ask me what I wanted without asking her if she wanted something else, I'm sure he'll be happy with the tip we left him, it reflected his service. I have another tip for him- don't be a bartender if you don't want to be nice to people. We get bored with this bar and then try to go to one down the street but unfortunately they had a ridiculous cover and lets face it me paying covers is insane because I have no attention span whatsoever and would probably only be in this establishment for 25 minutes max. So we go to this charming (sarcasm) bar that I can't remember the name of at this moment but for anyone who lives in portland it reminded me of a cross between cafe 66 and the winchester. No scratch that, the winchester crowd is classier than the people in this bar were. We order our drinks, try to not pick up a disease from the bathroom and then get bored as this place is not really hopping. Well they had a rooftop bar that wasn't open that evening but one of the drunk guys we were with made his way up there so we all followed because it was more exciting than downstairs. Obviously my catholic guilt kicks in at this time, as I was the child who never did anything wrong so Lindsey and I leave the guys and head downstairs. On our way down we run into someone who works there who yells something at us but I'm already sitting at the bar ordering another drink. Then the guys all come down and the guy who worked there is yelling "you all need to finish your drinks and go and never come back here". Oh I'm sorry- you're honestly kicking us out? We weren't acting like drunk fools and maybe if you don't want people upstairs you should have someone working in front and keep the door shut and locked so it can't be accessed. And another thing, we made up half of the people in this bar on a saturday night, I really wouldn't be kicking paying customers out especially when there was no one else there, its not like we were getting in fights or causing trouble, get over it. I give it another month and this place will be closed. And that was how I got kicked out of a bar for the first time in my life. I guess there's a first time for everything...

#winning

- Celtics taking down LinSanity on Sunday. Maybe now the Knicks will stop acting like they are untouchable. Get over yourselves. I wish I had been at this game, although I totally would have gotten in a fight with a knicks fan as that happened during the preseason game 2 years ago. Don't mess with my favorite men in the whole world, I'll try to kick your ass even though I'm tiny. I tend to get super sassy at sporting events or just places in general when guys think I have no clue what I'm talking about and try to sass me. I win every time so don't mess with me.

- Paul Pierce tying the game with 4.9 seconds left. I don't have enough words to express my love for him or Rondo. If either one of them gets traded I may cry. That is how much I love the celtics and the big 4 the team is centered around.

- Enjoying pitchers of margaritas outside when its beautiful out.  I don't think I need to elaborate further on this one.

- Having my 8 year old cousin tell me the boy she has a crush on has made it obvious that he likes her and everyone says so. I wish we could all have the excitement of an 8 year old who has a crush :) Until then I've got 99 problems but a man ain't one.

This isn't my condo...

Ever had one of those days where everything seems to be going right and then it just goes down hill? Last Wednesday was National Margarita Day, or my favorite holiday of the year. I was so excited to celebrate that night. So as I'm finishing up work someone who has become quite an annoyance called me- work phone and personal phone until I picked up and then I was so pissed off by the end of the conversation I needed a second workout. So I went to the gym and ran for an hour. At the end of the hour I felt slightly disoriented and probably should have sat down for a bit but jumped in the elevator anyways and hit my floor number. You have to understand- no one ever gets on the elevator when I am on it, I get on and get off on my floor. So when the elevator stopped and I was furiously texting my best friend I paid no attention to what floor I was on and got off, still not paying attention and opened my door. Only was it then that I realized my mistake- this wasn't my condo. I got off on the floor above mine when someone else wanted to get in and walked into the condo that is exactly like mine just one floor up. So that led to the awkward conversation as to what I was doing in this guys apartment- obviously having startled him. (Who leaves their door unlocked anyways?!?). So I try to explain the situation, now I sound like a complete crazy person and duck out and make it home.

And no- my margarita wasn't even enjoyable that night. I'll have to make up for that next weekend!

Sassy in the City

As someone in their early twenties I obviously grew up watching Sex and the City and fantasizing of the carefree Carrie Bradshaw way of life. Carrie Bradshaw always seemed relatable yet her experiences far fetched. I never thought that situations she got herself into occurred in real life, however, since I have left my small hometown in CT and now live in a city I have learned that her escapades are not outlandish whatsoever and that gems such as the ones you see on the show truly do exist. Being that I seriously dated someone for roughly 8 years I never experienced these whack jobs that are out there. Now that I'm out enjoying Atlanta nightlife I am meeting some very interesting people and I am able to group them into different categories. I will not give their names or too much of a description so as to not give their identity away, with my luck some of them are definitely reading this...

The Stage Five Clinger Type
I've learned that I tend to attract men who are "stage five clingers". A term best made well known from the hilarious movie Wedding Crashers, stage five clingers will hold on and never let go, causing the other person to go absolutely insane. Its also extremely creepy and awkward when a stage five clinger shows up where you are without you knowing and sends the bartender over with a drink for you when you're trying to get another guy to buy you a drink. Awkward. It never fails, I will find the guy who turns out to be absolutely needy and I wonder how he ever made it through life before I came into the picture. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy taking care of people- I will do anything for those that I love but if you're in your mid to late twenties you should get a grip on your life and run it yourself! Luckily I think I just got rid of my current stage five. Another important note on stage five clingers is that they don't take hints very well, I've learned to be direct with a stage five, otherwise they'll cling on forever.

The I Want a Wife Type
All I will say on this type of guy is that sending a girl a picture of you with small children will not make her fall for you. Especially when she does not want children. If you're in your twenties you should be having fun- not trying to tie this down. This results in an immediate text to your best friend wondering if this situation just happened. This guy may also fall under the stage five clinger category as well.

The Asshole. 
Lets face it- most guys are not nice and don't have good intentions. I recently let myself fall for a man within this category. Don't send mixed signals to a girl, its not nice to screw with our heads. There are certain guys who have great jobs and seem to have it together yet all it takes is one awful night out where they invite you and another girl who they clearly plan on bringing home and think you'll be ok with this horribly awkward situation. Instead of causing a scene what you need to do is buy a round of shots for everyone at the surrounding bar and charge it to his tab without him knowing. Then you and your new friends can toast to the fact that you didn't end up with this jerk and move on.

The Disappointment
Lets just say I thought this was a myth. Adorable, perfect chemistry, basically perfect in every way except one. And there's no need to elaborate further on this.

The Creeper
Trying to help a girl escape a stage five clinger is often where the creeper comes in to play. Then you think you didn't give them too much information on yourself when you get a Facebook friend request from them the next week. I am now questioning Facebook's privacy settings. This is the type of guy you do not friend and stay away from because they just seem creepy.

Changing some of my favorite lyrics slightly to fit, "I've got 99 problems but a man ain't one".  On to the next.

I'll never let anyone put me in a cage

No this isn't leading into some sick innuendo- but rather a line from my all time favorite movie Breakfast at Tiffanys. Bringing you up to speed, last month I packed up my life and decided to become a southern belle moving to the great city of Atlanta. This summer it hit me that I let myself be put in this metaphorical cage that Paul Varjack and Holly Golightly yell at each other over in probably one of my all time favorite movie scenes. Anyways, not to get sidetracked but after living in a very small town for 24 years I decided if I didn't move on I was going to "trap" myself in this cage and never leave. So since I was already flying to Atlanta frequently to visit friends it seemed like the right place to relocate. After a jam packed weekend in November I managed to find a condo that I fell in LOVE with and started the process of buying my first home. Which to anyone that has not done this before, don't attempt to purchase, close and move in less than a month especially if the holidays are thrown in there. It was the most stressful time of my life. But as I sit here now looking out my floor to ceiling windows with a view of the skyline I realize I made the best decision I have ever made. Granted there are times when I miss my family and friends back home but I feel as if I'm living out the life of Holly Golightly, minus the whole "american geisha" thing. There are times when I feel like I should pinch myself because I can't believe this is my life, and its amazing. Since I've moved here I have tried to pull my condo together to make it a home, gotten to know my neighbors who I love, hit as many hotspots as I can and already had several visitors to experience my new life.

My life in Atlanta compared to my life in Connecticut is like night and day, and I don't mean that in a bad way, I mean it in the sense that the two are so different they cannot be compared. People in the south are so incredibly nice and will go out of their way to do things for you. I understand completely why they all have this view of northerners being rude, well mostly they all just think New Yorkers are rude and they don't have enough of a grasp of CT so they don't know what to make of me. My neighbor did however think that since I was from up north I must have known the cast of the Jersey Shore- I'm still laughing over that one. There are some very interesting people who live in my building and I'm sure I'll get to meet all of them tomorrow at our budget meeting. As per usual I've had several awkward moments, but it wouldn't be me unless I turn a normal meet and greet into what seems like a totally weird situation.

I've also learned how to take my independence to new levels. For those who know me can attest to the fact that I have always been fiercely independent and will ultimately do what I want. Well I thought I was completely independent until I moved into my own home and realized my dad wasn't here to do everything for me anymore. When I called him two days ago to tell him of my latest home depot adventure to buy a new air filter for my furnace he started going on about how he tried to show me these things when I was little but I wanted no part of it. Again, typical. Now he just gets phone calls from me every other day asking how to do home owner things such as how to change license plates, using a drill bit, what types of tools I need and just any question that may involve home depot in general because I have not found one person in that store helpful whatsoever.

Anyways I think I'm starting to get the hang of it- well for now. I'm sure tomorrow will be another adventure.