Always, MacKenzie

Hello, World... Again!!!

2011-04-20T23:14:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm not dead. Thanks for asking! I know it's been a bajillion years since I last posted (sorry!) but I've been crazy busy in the best possible ways. Don't be mad, please. I promise this blog will be a good one.

Fine, fine. Here's some food porn. Does that help? Thought so.

Bronzed tuna with a lemon-shallot-butter relish, wild rice, and grilled eggplant.

Those are all natural. Look at the size of those grains.

Eh hem. Sorry to interrupt, but it's time to get back to the real thing. I've been at Splash now for 6 weeks, and I can tell you I am loving it. I'm not bored (first time ever), I love all the (99% of) the people I work with, and no one yells at me, or tries to get me fired every day. Other than a terrible head shot of me on the Splash web site -- DO NOT GO LOOK IT UP. Don't. This is a circle of trust, and if you go look that picture up, you aren't invited back. You're telling yourself, "Oh, she'll never know. I'll just pop open a new tab and check it out. I WILL KNOW. Mark my words. -- and a move to a new desk across the reef that I was pretty melodramatic about (moi? Non!), I've had a really great time. More details to come in a blog that isn't a month recap. I know you have a short attention span. It's ok.

In other news, we've done a lot of upgrading to the apartment. Sean is 1. adorable and 2. awesome at fixing things, so he bought new drawer pulls for our slightly tragic looking bedroom set - and presto! New life. For some reason, the original pulls were custom drilled, but Sean (used this as an excuse to buy a power tool) drilled new holes all by himself! That's what she said. We had to buy a pull that would cover up the other holes, so we choose brushed nickel cup pulls. Sean wasn't convinced that he liked them, but I sold them pretty hard. Once we got them on the drawers, no more selling needed. The new pulls look modern, match the original furniture, and handy-man did a great job so they are level and everything!

Nia really enjoyed this project. It was like having 2 extra migrant workers to help with all the heavy lifting. Don't let the pearls fool you.

Just kidding. Nia checked it out and decided to nap instead.

The finished product. The room looks so much brighter when compared to before!

We switched TVs so Sean could video game in the guest room, and I could watch documentaries in the living room. Compromise is what gets it done and keeps it alive, y'all.

Pretty!

We got a great deal on the pulls at Seconds and Surplus, which is -- in my opinion -- the only place to go get renovation-ish things in Dallas. What would have cost $75 at Lowes cost $32 at Seconds and Surplus. They have 2 locations: Dallas off 114 (where we went) and Richardson. They even have decent service, which totally shocked me considering it was a surplus store.

Life is good, y'all. I'll do new posts on our upgraded party-time patio and some awesome things that have been cooking out there. Well, growing out there, but cooking inside. I think I gave the post away. I should just leave.

Drama! Conflict! Chickens!

2011-03-13T10:41:00.000-07:00

Recently, it's come to my attention that this blog would be SO MUCH BETTER if I had some sort of crazy drama going on in my life.

Stunted adolescence?

Crazy relationship trouble?

Weird family?

Horrible job?

OK, we will reserve judgement on the last point but I have to say... after a few traumatic experiences in the working world... my early verdict on Splash Media is positive. Really positive. Without seeming like a crazy person, I'd say awesome. But that would be overly-aggressive way too soon. So right now, things are positive.

Anyone who knows me knows that my family is freakishly normal (perhaps that's the weird part?), so we'll cross that off the drama list.

Crazy relationship problems? Negative. The biggest problem in my relationship is that we eat wayyyy too much chicken. CHICKENS!!! (Imagine me shaking my fist at the sky so that I'm maximizing the drama, people. CHICKENS!!!) Oh yeah, and the cat keeps playing with her poop, which means one of us (read: me) has to pick it up. Since Nia once pooped directly on Sean's lap (HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHA) -- a story that I am under no conditions supposed to tell -- I'm on poop duty for a while.

Stunted adolescence? I WISH. Damn you, bills, for making me so responsible.

That's all the drama I can come up with. Sorry I'm not sorry I'm generally happy. Please, keep reading my blog anyway.

I've been doing some thinking

2011-03-02T13:18:00.000-08:00

..and if you know me, that's a little scary.

Anyway, quick list of things I want to do with my life. No big deal.

Learn French. Two (three?) Christmases ago, my parents got me the Rosetta Stone for French. I was quite religious about it until my computer crapped out, which was about 1/3 of the way through the program. Basically, I know a bunch of random phrases and would really love to learn, you know, the whole language. I need to download this on my new computer and get at it immediately.
(Re)read the classics. Truth: I downloaded 63 books on my Kindle for free!! the night Sean gave it to me. I am approximately one book down. All of the books are classics that I may or may not have read in elementary/middle/high school, but should re-read anyway. Truth #2: I read a lot of these books in elementary school. Somewhere, stashed in my parents house, is a trove of books with child's handwriting all over the margins as I made notes to myself about words and phrases I didn't understand. <- This explains a lot about me. It also means that I probably didn't understand a lot of the nuance. I need to get on this immediately, too.
Actually start working out. I love yoga, dancing, and riding bikes. I hate running and lifting weights. Why do I keep trying to cram myself into the latter box? I'm signing up for yoga immediately after this blog.
Shameless plug: Meghann and I decided we are writing a book. Stay posted, friends. It's coming. Immediately. :) I promise it will be full of sass and sarcasm. It's what I do best.
I put myself on a spending freeze. I'm not buying any clothes/shoes until I pay my credit card off. I'm already dying. I want these so bad it hurts. Snake skin ballet flats with a bow! ON SALE. Anthro kills me.
I put myself on a drinking freeze. I'm only drinking on weekends, now folks. That's right: NO HAPPY HOURS. I don't need the calories. Maybe one day, margarita Monday will be back for me. But until margaritas cease to be 1000 calories a pop, and I cease to be dieting, we can never be together.

Weekend Update

2011-02-28T13:38:00.000-08:00

Well, this is my final week at TaCito. I am working really hard to make sure all my loose ends are tied up! And also trying not to feel like this:

2010 throwback, what!

Sean and I had an Oscar party this weekend. He was unconvinced that this would be fun for anyone but me, so I am happy to report that I am practically wearing "I told you so" like a Ms. America banner. To be fair, it was questionable whether or not the boys coming would appreciate the gown gorge, but Sean set up his Playstation in the guest room FTW.

We kept having to pause the Oscars because they were yelling about extra lives or something. None of us knew what could be so exciting about video games, but were generally happy they were having fun. I was also pretty excited we were left with minimal leftovers. I love my Winter's Bone-in Wings (see what I did right there, with the pun?), but a girl can only take so much. It's all broccoli for a while in my diet (ballerina food... see what I did right there, with the pun? Can you tell there was a theme to my party?) Other foods that made an appearance: Buzz LightBeer, Fighter Sliders, Little Dogs on the Prairie, The King's Peach Tea, The Salsa Network, The Queso is Alright, 3 Level Dream Dip, 127 Chocolate Chip Cookies. They had name tags. Don't judge.

To sum it up: this weekend = success.

This is not a photo essay

2011-02-22T08:57:00.000-08:00

So, I'm actually writing a blog today. There has been a lot going on in my life, and I'm pretty excited to share it with you.

This week, I accepted a job at Splash Media in Addison as a Social Media Manager. I've put in my two weeks at TaCito, and while I am thankful for the opportunity TaCito gave me, I am so excited about my new job. It was a tough decision for everyone involved, but I can happily say I made the right one -- Splash Media, here I come!

The only thing that would make this better is if I could bring business kitty with me.

Other important news: My boyfriend and my family are pretty awesome. If they had a celebrity name, which they totally should, it would be boyframily.

Super Bowl/ Valentine's Day... A photo essay of food porn and kitty cats

2011-02-16T16:45:00.000-08:00

Turkey Sliders stuffed with cheese and red onions. See youllmarryamusicman.blogspot.com for recipe!

Mini Crescent Dogs, Wings, Relish Plate. Nomnomnom.

Cookies + Brownies = choco-awesome

Queso, French Onion Dip, Spinach Dip, Salsa and Chex Mix... Gangs all here!

This is Nia's favorite spot in the house, which she climbs to entirely on her own. Who ever said fat cats can't jump?

Super Bowl nomaliciousness

My pretty damn cute boyfriend in some smoking Martha Stewart mittens, cooking me dinner!

Did I say cooking? What I really meant was heating up the gourmet food he got to go!

Pate and Baguette -- don't judge, but I love it.

Mixed veggies, filet mignon, lobster with a garlic cream sauce, mashed potatoes with celery root. EPIC DECISIONS.

We resorted to eating caveman style.

"I want my steak to be cooked like this always." - Sean McCarver. Side note: Why do lobsters always look so PERVY when you photograph them?

What shall forever be known as "rich people squash".

Raspberry cream brulee - in a heart tin because we're in love, yo!

This was dinner VDay #2. Sean and I split duties cause it's way more fun to spread the love! That's a cowboy ribeye on a bed of creamed spinach with a rosemary cream sauce and Hasselbeck potatoes.

Nia wanted to join.

The aftermath. Next year, I'm ordering to-go, too.

Saved the best for last. Chocolate dipped strawberries with brownies and oreos!

This is the mea culpa blog

2011-01-23T20:45:00.000-08:00

So in case anyone didn't know, being an adult is HARD.

That's what she said.

Obviously, I still haven't mastered maturity (see comment above) so here is a list of things I'm currently sorry for screwing up:

1. Still no Christmas pictures. I will redress this situation at the end of this blog.

2. Not calling Suzy back. I FELL ASLEEP. I'm one nap away from applying for AARP.

3. Bailing on approximately a bajillion people Saturday night. I FELL ASLEEP. For the record, so did Sean. At 8:30, or one-glass-of-wine-o'clock. AARP: I am expecting a formal invite any minute.

4. Just now reading Andrea's comment about my blog. She's 10000x better at blogging than me, so you should follow her Steady Stream of Chatter.

So, here are Christmas pictures.

Daddy got a standing ovation for the universal remote.

This is the best picture I've ever taken.

Nia loves Christmas, and I love Nia. Win-Win.

Shiloh loves me. This is a love/hate relationship on my end. See the licking?! See?!

New Years in my MJ jacket.

Cotton Bowl Tail Gate. Whoop!

It was really good to see TJ.

Sean thinks I'm pretty without make-up. I think he's cute when he makes dumb faces. This is proof we are both crazy.

Trevor and I at the Cotton Bowl.

We lost, and I kept annoying Trevor. This is pretty much how the whole second half went for him.

My New Years' Re-Solution

2011-01-04T07:43:00.000-08:00

Yeah, this horrible motivational speaker called it that on Twitter the other day. I cannot even begin to tell you how dumb this is grammatically. A re-solution means you are solving something again, which in turn implies that you probably failed last year at your weight loss/finding God/making someone marry you goal.

Anyway. This year, I have the proto-typical New Year's goal to get healthy (that's what I'm calling it in 2011 since putting numbers and schedules on it in the past has failed MISERABLY). But my complete determination to not be a fat ass in 2011 is completely boring so here's the real deal...

In 2011, I'm going to be more MANLY (is underlining "manly" actually over-accessorizing the word? FAIL ALREADY).

Well, not really manly. Bear with me. See, I really love sparkly things and pink things and smell-good things and make-up and clothes and house-decorating and most things girly -- the pink text of course, being for emphasis. What I don't like about being a girl is the struggle to compartmentalize. Guys have it so easy. Seriously, you are biologically able to shut down areas of your brain where girls see everything interconnected. Sometimes, interconnectivity is good.

When you are so stressed out you end up in an emergency room with stress-induced migraines and vomiting, this is bad.

In 2010, I completed one goal of getting a not-stress-free-but-certainly-not-sickness-inducing job. As I slowly wrap my head around what I want to do for the rest of my life (scary), I would like to look forward knowing that I have the capability to compartmentalize. Like a man. Or a boss. A man who's a boss?

Bottom line: If you hear me making general connections to things and those connections don't actually exist, tell me to man up. I'll know what you mean :)

Sidenote: I'm actually pretty good at compartmentalizing in my personal life. It's the damn professional life that messes with my head. This is probably because I've had a personal life for 22 years and a professional life for... 1, working on 2. It's a process people.

P.S. -- I got a new camera for Christmas so expect many more pictures. Christmas/New Years post coming soon, I promise!

Christmas time is for cynics

2010-12-21T19:57:00.000-08:00

Don't get all huffy. Did you really think I was going to say lovers? Gross.

Christmas is for cynics (read: me) because it's the one time of year that I kind of get out of my own head and enjoy things like Santa, gift-giving, mistletoe, kitschy decorations and glittery ornaments. Any other time of year, I would tell you to get out of my face with your childlike enthusiasm. During Christmas, it's like my heart grows three sizes... wait, that's the Grinch. Oh, the Whomanity.

Anyway, to make this Christmas even better, Sean graduated and we moved in together. I LOVE our new place. I love Sean, too, but the apartment is new so that's what I'm writing about. Since we moved in during Christmas, we had the added bonus of getting to decorate twofold: once generally, and one for the holiday. Here are photos of the new digs. As we keep upgrading, we'll keep posting. The place looks great, but it looks better in person so feel free to come visit!

He was helping me stage. CUTIE.

He also picked out the bedding. It's ok to be jealous.

Massive TV, massive make-up mirror. Win-win.

We're adorable. I'm not afraid to say it.

The closets are HUGE.

Did I mention the closets are huge?

That's a garden tub. Clearly, someone needs to work on that toilet seat issue.

This sums up everything.

The kitchen is also huge.

Things we need: another bookshelf. We really like books.

The dining room.

So many presents. Hint: they are all for Sean.

Peppermint bark and ornaments. I love Christmas!

I wish this wasn't fuzzy. It's the alkie corner.

Sean was in my way. I thought I hated the couch, but I don't. Remove foot from mouth.

The mantle. I made that garland, FYI.

Workspace.

Frat corner.

Two big bathtubs!

Among other things, my shoe closet. BE JEALOUS.

One of my best ideas ever: I'm going to hang these in front of the mirrors in the dining room so when we light the candles, the light reflects :)

Sean's work backpack. Baller status.

Again, I thought I hated the couch but I lied. The end!!

#1. - Magnets instead of Management

2010-12-09T21:30:00.000-08:00

Periodically, I've decided to write entries about how NOT to behave in business. If you think this is going to be lame, you're wrong. I've got some stories, homie.

Which brings me to point #1... I once had a boss that quite sure putting up an inspirational magnet on all the building doors would fix the gossipy/catty/straight-up mean girls atmosphere in the office. Needless to say, it did not. In fact, it became slang for inaction.

There's a 60% chance that it's already raining.

Scenario one:
Angry Employee A: UGH! She is such a bitch! I have to talk to Boss about it but you know they will probably just put a magnet on it and call it a day.

Scenario two:
Downtrodden Employee B: They expect me to write all these reports, and then they just throw them away! I'm just going to give them a magnet instead.

Lesson learned: When moral is collapsing around you because of whatever reason (let's be honest, probably previous failures on your part), do not think that motivational signage will fix the issues. If it does... well...

Happy Thanksgiving, Y'all!

2010-11-26T13:07:00.000-08:00

Soulmates

This Thanksgiving, the whole family went to the Valley (as in, the Rio Grande Valley for the non-Texans) to visit my grandma. We don't get down south very often, but when we do it's always a treat. Gramma and I are very close, and visiting her means I get to poke through drawers of pictures, catalogs of jewelery, and play with a rainbow selection of scarves and purses. Plus, we gorge on everything from homemade pickles to homemade pies, and not an ounce of food comes from a can. For those of you who's Thanksgivings consist of Boston Market and canned cranberry jelly.... I'm sorry you missed it. We had plenty of extras.

Me and Gramma at my graduation.

Gramma is, for lack of better terms, a helluva woman. Standing at a mighty 4'11, she weilds matriarchal power with grace as she teeters around the kitchen in a fully color-coordinated outfit. Even her sweats match her tennis shoes; in the Christmas spirit, she was wearing red today. Don't let the matching fool you, though. She's weathered depressions, wars, deaths, and more with unvarnished class. It would take me hours to detail just why she's my hero, but since you (and I) don't have the time, I'll just share some pictures and insist that you take my word on it.

We are a family divided on Thanksgiving, but you better believe this 12th Man Towel appeared so that everyone knew where Gramma stood.

Just some of her candy-colored bangles

Gramma's jewelery drawers are a showcase in jewelery from the 40s to today. Check out the Aggie section in the top right corner. The Gig 'Em thumb earrings are classic!

One of her jewelery stands. The other is the lighter colored cabinent to the left.

My Gramma and Grandpa's cake-topper from their wedding in 1949. Found this in a china cabinent stuffed to the brim with crystal and antique plates.

Las Colinas Living

2010-11-22T13:39:00.000-08:00

When I finally moved out of the suburbs, I promised I would never go back. That's the thing about promises.... Move out of small town to go to the big city (suburbs.) Love you, Sean. Anyway! We got an AMAZING deal on an AMAZING place that I am really, really excited to move into. Take that, suburbs! Look at this pool. Just look at it. Feel free to drool a little. Anyway, done gloating. We signed on Saturday and will move in on the 15th. It's a crazy-tight timeline since Sean graduates on the 17th and starts work on the 20th. I can't wait to start this adventure. IKEA gift certificates are highly encouraged as housewarming/Christmas gifts. We would really love a coffee table.

After we signed our lease, we ate at Blu Ginger. http://www.yelp.com/biz/blu-ginger-thai-cafe-irving-2 I had the Flying Shrimp and Sean had Catching Cashew Nut. It wasn't spectacular but it was a giant step above your average greasy Thai place. $2 beers all weekend, too. We went to help Heine move in to her new place (so excited she moved to Dallas!) and then went back to Hockaday to watch the Aggies. Needless to say, WRECKING CREW IS BACK, or for non-football fans, we won. It was a big deal. And if we're lucky, Bo Pelini is fired (HA!) and T-Magic is coming to Aggieland. Wikipedia is not the best source though.

So Sunday, we continued celebrating (obvi) by going to Cindi's for an awesome breakfast with Heine and Frank. http://www.yelp.com/biz/cindis-ny-delicatessen-restaurant-and-bakery-carrollton Go there; eat breakfast; be happy.

For dinner, I cooked Sean a homemade meal, which he did not at all beg for. One of his favorites: chicken piccata with ravioli and okra scramble.

Date night :)

Here's the recipe:

Chicken piccata

Ingredients:

Chicken breasts

Lemons

Capers

Butter

Olive Oil

Flour

Salt

Pepper

Prep:

Butterfly chicken breasts. Melt butter in olive oil (2 parts butter to 1 part oil). Salt and pepper your flour. Dredge chicken in flour mixture. Brown 1 breast (pervy) in butter/olive oil. Add 1 tablespoon butter for each new breast (pervy x2). Set breasts (seriously!?) aside. Melt 1/2 stick of butter with 1/2 cup lemon juice and capers. Use a lot of capers if you love capers; use less if you don't. It's whatever. Bring sauce to a boil and stir in pan brownings. Scrape all that off the bottom of the pan! It's so good! Taste the sauce. Add lemon if it's too buttery; add butter if it's too lemony -- there is no science to this. Once you like the flavor, put the chicken in the sauce and let it simmer for 5ish minutes.

So this looks like a big pile of mush but if I had a camera (hint) instead of my iPhone, I promise you would be better able to tell the deliciousness.

Okra MacKenzie

Ingredients:

Frozen okra

Onion

Garlic

Can diced tomatoes

Marjoram

Thyme

Oregano

Salt

Pepper

Cheese

Prep:

Preheat oven to 350. Chop onion and garlic. I use one large onion and a whole bulb of garlic because I love onions and garlic. Use as much/little as you want. Again -- it's whatever. Put in large saute pan with frozen okra and the can of diced tomatoes on medium heat. While simmering, season to taste. I like a lot of pepper for spice. Easy on the herbs; you can always add more but too many overpower the veggie flavor. Simmer until the onions are clear and the garlic is soft. Pour into a baking dish. Cover with your choice of cheese. I like parmigiana or provolone. Mozzarella is also yummy. Bake until the cheese is bubbling and browning. Serve. FYI - Any seedy (as in, with seeds, not sketchy) veggie works well in this. Squash, zucchini, etc. Yum!

Ravioli:

Buy from store. Put in boiling water. Drain. Serve. Pretend like you made it. SO SUE ME.

Enjoy, y'all.

Always,
MacKenzie

I did it!

2010-11-17T13:38:00.000-08:00

Seriously, EVERYONE I know has been pleading for me to write a blog because my life is so interesting. Not really, but I am bending to requests so here it is. A warning: there will probably a lot of opinions, good times, rants about incorrect grammar, cute clothes/shoes, apartment decorating, meal making, sappy love posts (who am I these days, really?), and crazy cat lady moments. If you can't handle that -- why are we friends, again? And just to live up to expectations, a story.

Last weekend, Sean and I (and most of his fraternity) went to New Orleans. I love New Orleans because it combines many of my favorite things: wandering around with a hand grenade, eating delicious food, creepy ghost stories, and late nights. What's not to love? Anyway, if you are there, you must go to the Royal Oyster House. Eat well. Order the New Orleans Trio. Or the scallop and shrimp pasta. Or the Corn Chowder. Really, order anything. Just go. I wish I had pictures, but my camera broke. If I did, I could show you the scallops the size of silver dollars that were in my pasta. Delish. Do you know what is not delish? Eating pizza off Bourbon Street. Not from a pizza place on Bourbon Street -- that is tasty, especially at 4 a.m. Eating pizza from a pizza place off Bourbon Street after you've dropped said pizza on the ground. I won't name names, but he owes me. Also for not posting a certain Lady GaGa dance routine on YouTube. You're welcome. Chalk it up to Good Time #1. It was a fantastic weekend.

One more thing:

Quinton's pretty much the cutest.

Always,

MacKenzie