Occoquan, VA

Out and about wandering... There are days I'm restless, and I just want to go to a familiar place and walk. So... That's exactly what I did yesterday.

I thought I'd share a little photo-collage with everyone..... Considering this is one of my favorite places to escape to down here in my "adoptive" home of Virginia. Yes, yes, yes... I'm a New England girl through and through- and I have to admit, 70 degree days in Virginia is NOT normal.

Not for me at least.

But, I've been quite sick lately, and just had a string of bad luck from end of August until now.

I needed to just get out and bumble, as I like to call it.

You'll see in the collage, there's a few photos of "Gingerbread" houses. I call them by the name since they all are different, yet the same... The colors are whimsical, the brickwork amazing, the entire look... Enchanting. These ones, however, you cannot eat!

Sitting atop the banks of the Occoquan river, once Gaslight Landing is complete there will be four units with houses available in each. These homes are absolutely gorgeous. The front units face Main Street in Occoquan- so parking is available right in front of them. Of course, the homeowners have their own garages under their houses- but that's private parking! The back units sit right on the banks of the Occoquan River, and the wharves are right there as well. Overlooking the water- I can't think of a more perfect place to be. Someone wanna lend me a million so I can get one? hahaha... Big dreams, for a little person... But we'll see.

Continuing on through the town, there are so many shops it'll make your head spin! There are a few really nice antique shops- set up and ready for Christmas already... What happened to Thanksgiving?! It's ok- the setup is so whimsical I can't help but walk by and admire. There are jewelry shops, and one such is comprised of local artists. I haven't yet brought in any of my things- I'm watching how much sells there, and who it is before I "take the plunge".

There's a lovely little Christmas Ornament shop, with lights and miniature town set-ups, stained glass boutique, acupuncture therapy, spa treatments, general stores... And one of the best Apple Pie's I've had since I've been down here which is incorporated right in to the General Store. They're located at the top of the hill when you drive in! Clothing stores- some consignments, some bridal and special occasion, and many specialty stores for women to find the perfect accessory to any outfit. A little Irish store packed with traditional and authentic items from Ireland, painting pottery, a bookstore you can quickly become engrossed within, and plenty of little café style eateries that you can stop in for a bite once walking the circuit around town.

There's a wine tasting shop, and a girlie sparkly one with all sorts of cutsey and fun things to pick up for that quirky girl you know! The gelato one is my absolute favorite in the summer... Grab one of those to go, and walk around the streets! My local bead shop is here too- the woman remembers me every time I come in, because my roommate will sit outside in the rocking chair and wait for me... Rather than poke his nose into a shop where all the ladies are "ooohh-ing" and "ahhhh-ing" to all the beads! Typically, I do order online... But I get some great finds in there too!

My favorite place to admire, even though I've never been into it, is Rockledge Mansion.

It's a big, old, stone mansion that was built a very long time ago at the end of the walkway through town. You can't go any further, since the water reservoir is up there, and it's fenced off. But once you walk up and see this building- it's hard to keep curiosity for what's over the hill, instead of the hulking stone structure you gaze at now.

The mansion itself is nestled right into the hill, an what I wouldn't give to get in there!
Occasionally, you'll see a car or two up there... But as far as I can tell it's unoccupied by residents. I did find, however, that the mansion and hall are for rent for events... Yay! The pricing isn't bad... But I'd need to find a way to host something worthwhile in order to do so... I think a masquerade ball would be so much fun!

Occoquan was once a bustling little town- and I was amazed at reading some of the history when I first moved down here. There are quite a few haunts, since most of the buildings are original, and their past owners and caretakers are still doing just that... Watching over their shops.

So this was my little outing... Perhaps if you're looking for an interesting place to go, this will strike your interest!

Tri-Cut Steak and Gorgonzola Bleu Cheese

So I didn't think I'd actually do one of these again before the move... Which happens in three days... Yay!

I just found out I'm still sick with bronchitis, and the Doc says I have to basically take it easy. Stay quiet. I don't listen well... I'm used to getting things done, working, giving 150%. This is a hard blow to deal with. And, to share a bit of personal history for a moment, I'm a very severe asthmatic. They've lost me 3 times- but I thank whomever's upstairs for letting me stick around and continuing to forge my path through life. Essentially- when I get sick, either it's quick and over with... Or I get it really bad, and it hangs around forever. It seems that this case of bronchitis is one of those "let's hunker in and stay a while" colds. It's been 2 weeks, and I'm still running a low-grade fever, whistling when I breathe- hence the new nickname "Wheezy the 8th Dwarf" (lol), back on meds... BLAH BLAH BLAH. Enough. Let's get to food.

I had to pick up new meds from the pharmacy- and, well, since Wegman's is such a kick ass grocery store- I always end up poking around and buying a few things. Habit. Can't walk through that store and not pick something up.

Up today- a Tri-Cut steak.
Looks like a flank steak, but just in triangle form. Meh. Figured what the heck. Steak is steak is steak. Right?
Yes!

Next on the list- Gorgonzola Bleu Cheese and a good Balsamic Vinegar. Also pick up a fresh roma tomato or two, a bunch of fresh basil, a bag of your choice of salad, a good sized chunk of fresh mozarella cheese, and a bottle of white balsamic vinegar. (It's a delicious alternative to the more robust, intense flavor of regular balsamic. You can, of course, use the regular kind for the salad dressing as well- I just like the milder flavor which compliments the mozarella, basil and tomatoes.)

Ok. Got home, tore right in to the steak! Yum!
Line a pan, that's just big enough to hold the meat, with saran wrap. Put the steak in, and drizzle with about 1/3 cup of the regular Balsamic Vinegar. You can also add McCormick's Montreal Steak Seasoning for a little extra flavor and kick- which I did!

This is what you should get:

Let the meaty goodness marinate for a few hours, flipping it over about every 1/2 hour or so... Or longer. Depending on how busy you are!
For the tastiest, fall apart, melt in your mouth steak- let it marinate for at least 24 hours. When you're ready to cook it, set your oven to Broil and line a roasting pan with the grate top with tinfoil- easy clean up! I'm a big fan of it!

Take out your meat, lay it on the foil and broil each side about 8 minutes for a medium done steak. Cook longer for more well done, or less for rare.

While it's cooking, dice up about 1/2 cup of the mozarella and a tomato in to little cubes. Take about 6 fresh basil leaves, and chop them up as well. Mix all together in a small bowl, and add about 1/3-1/2 cup of the White Balsamic Vinegar and 1/4 cup of Olive Oil. Mix well, and this is the tasty mix:

The steak should be done now, so go ahead and take it out and let rest for about 2 min to let the juices settle. Go ahead and put salad on the plates, sprinkle with a little of the gorgonzola cheese, and top with the mozarella/tomato mix. This is the dressing for the salad- you don't need another dressing!! Cut the steak in to good sized chunks, and sprinkle more of the gorgonzola over the meat.

The way the cheese gets all melty, and the balsamic flavor for the meat mingles with the mozarella, tomatoes and basil from the salad... MMMMMM!

This is what should grace your plate- what do you think?!?

Tilapia and Shrimp for Deeeeener.

So I know I declared a little while ago that I cook so well I amaze myself.

Well, I do!

And here's a quick and easy recipe that you can throw together and eat in about 15 minutes, or less depending on how quick you prep. Yes... Dinner can be that easy!

I'm sure you all know I love to cook. Yes, I do.
But I don't necessarily love spending hours in the kitchen, toiling over fantastic creations that are absolutely decadent. There are times for that... They're called Holidays.

This dinner is for any night of the week. Or lunch. Or whenever you decide.

Tilapia is a great fish that I like to cook with, since it's got a very mild flavor and it's tendency to take on whatever flavors it's cooked with. Read on, dear friend, for the mouthwatering recipe... You probably won't believe from the pictures that there's really just two ingredients added to the fish and shrimp.

The Recipe:
Olive Oil
Lemon Pepper
Handful of medium shrimp
2-4 fillets of Tilapia
Fresh Salad and fixins to go in it

Turn your oven on, to 350 degrees.
Toss the shrimp in about a tablespoon of Olive Oil, and a few shakes of the pepper.
Line a good sized pan (I used a roasting pan) with tin foil and drizzle the bottom with Olive Oil. This will prevent the fish from sticking when you cook it. Lay the fillets in, drizzle with a little more Olive Oil, and season with the Lemon Pepper generously.

It should look something like this when you're done



Yes... I know, uncooked shrimp colors kind of eek me out too.
Once the food's in, time for 13-15 minutes. You'll know it's close to being done with the delicious aroma starts to fill the kitchen... Yes, you know what I'm talking about! Lemony goodness!
Remove from the oven once it's finished cooking, and let sit to cool off for about two minutes.

While you're waiting for it to cool, go ahead and put the salads together. I like to use bagged, just for ease.. But it all depends on what's a good deal. Chop up some cucumbers, tomatoes, any fresh veggies.

This is what I came up with tonight:



Wegmans is getting the plug tonight- since they're the local grocer for me! Once I put the food together, I went ahead and put a little of their Lemon Dill finishing butter on the fish. Honestly- it didn't need much. (easy to make- chop about 1 tablespoon of fresh dill to 2 tablespoons of softened butter)



So that was dinner tonight.
Quick.
Easy.
Delicious!

And I can't wait to make it again...

The Day After.... And Shower Curtains.

So I went ahead and did it...

Acted like a Dirtbag.
In the kindest sense possible- not quite a lady, of course, from various reports.
Mehhhh... I had a little bit of a rough night, but I talked it out... Friends are great. I don't even know what triggered it.

Wait, YES I do.
That nasty Everclear.
Dave- I will NEVER drink that crap again.

Oh, you want to talk about drinking liquid chalk, and then having the cotton mouth to back it up? Well.. There ya go. That stuff is nasty. Not only did he not tell me what was in the shot glass, he todl me it was Vodka first. I hate vodka, unless it's mixed in something. So there I was protesting, and it was "Open Up, going down the hatch..."
great. just what i always wanted...

Now let me say, I don't need chasers.
I don't particularly like them.
But this Everclear stuff made me absolutely speechless. I couldn't even react to how gross it was for about 2 solid minutes. I know I just sat there, with an incredulous look on my face, trying to get my tongue unstuck from the roof of my mouth... Which, somehow, had become caked in chalk dust. Or at least felt that way.
Miraculously enough, I got it unstuck. And hence the Dirtbaggin mouth followed... Ooooh, yes. Cussing like a sailor, and trying to spit the taste out of my mouth. Much of the rest of the evening after that, I don't recall too well... Never again, though, never again. I didn't get sick. Just... More innebriated than I'd like- which I don't enjoy. I don't remember much of the night, but I don't want to do another one like that ever again.

Allow me a moment to rant here about McDonald's.
It was quarter to 3 when we stopped, on the way home. I insisted. I wanted a number 12, breakfast. Awful, I know, greasy and so delicious. Bad bad bad for the diet. But I had a hankerin, so I begged to stop.
Lo and behold, the breakfast menu was up. At 2:46 am.
They were serving dinner. Not breakfast.
My thoughts... Don't put up the breakfast menu if you're not serving it.
It's false advertising. I really wanted the steak egg and cheez on a bagel... But no, I had to settle for a double cheezburger. Yes, I had a cheezburger.

And extra pickles.



But now to the fun part of my post.
I'm moving the weekend after next, with my roomie Greg. Yep. Bigger place.
I get my own room, and most excitedly.... My own bathroom!!!!!!!!!!

So I'm hunting online for some cute things to decorate with. I've manged to come up with a few.
Take a look if you will... Vote!

I can't decide if I want a grown up looking bathroom, or a little playful punk one. Heh... It doesn't mean I can't switch out shower curtains each week, I suppose... So I may go for both...

First up in the Shower Curtain Bathroom Contest.

Pretty sparklies for $29.99.

It's purple. I'm not a big fan of purple. But it's long, it's sheer, and it's got little mirrors on the curtain. Very pretty. Reminds me of a spa... Hm... That's an idea... A lavender and sage bathroom... I'll think about it...

But this way, I can decorate with purple, greens, dark woods etc. I don't know if in the new place we have windows in the bathrooms... Most likely not. But it's nice to hope. If not, I'm definitely pulling out my candle stash and decorating profusely with those. Maybe even find my oil burner, and put in the Sweet Bay Rose oil I have... Talk about relaxing! I'd live in my bathroom.... Nevermind my bedroom! I can see it now... Relaxing in a nice bubble bath, a candle or two going... Some music in the background... Yes! Heaven!

Next up, as you all know... I love anything with wings.

Dragonflies, Butterflies, Fairys.

Whimsical and Dreamy for $14.99.

Blue and Green and White shiny things with wings on this one. Love it! Any colors in the bathroom with this one, I suppose... And I like it.

The rest of the bathroom decor will have to be a bit... Subdued. Plain, simple. And I'm ok with that. Since I'm planning to get an over the toilet storage cabinet- wood would work well with this one as well, as long as it's dark. Not going to be black, because it's too harsh... And too tricky to keep perfectly clean all the time. Either a dark cherry, mahogony or black-brown cabinet will do. I like rich colors- and I think they'll blend nicely with what I'm trying to do. But... The end result will remain to be seen.

And the final is most definitely my "Gotta Have Some Fun" design.

Skullz and Starz..... And I'll add rhinestones!

Yes, this is my guilty pleasure for $29.99.

I love skulls, I love stars, I love anything that glitters. The bathroom has a resident Skull Decoration- which is now packed away until we move in less than 14 days. But he will arise once again to adorn my bathroom door.

The tricky part to this bright PINK confection, is towels and accessories. I suppose I could go with white, or pink... But.... Mehhhh. I'm not crazy about the color pink in my bathroom.

But this is totally cool for a punked out girlie bathroom. And I'm trying to curb this intense desire right now to purchase this immediately. Why?

Because I'd totally get some black lace trim, hang it from the top. Get some metal star curtain hangers, and some rhinestones to apply with my favorite fabric glue. And VOILA! A totally rockin skulls and stars, sparklies and dark lace confection for my bathroom.

My need now is to have someone advise me which of the three is most me.

And give me a reason, if you don't like the skully pink, WHY NOT!

Dirtbaggin

Yep, that's what they call it.

LOL.

So my group of friends are mostly guys... No big deal, I'm sure I'm not the ONLY girl out there that has the majority of her friends of the male species.
I digress.

They're hilarious. Good peoples, indeed.

So when there's a night that's announced that we're "hanging" out... All I gotta say is WATCH OUT!

Dirtbaggin: being of this group, especially if you're a guy.
*please note, I, while female, am an honorary dirtbag. so is izzy, but that's another story....

There's acting like a Dirtbag. (which isn't really bad, per se...)
There's the official Dirtbag Hat. (pictures later)
There's drinking like a Dirtbag. (Izzy isn't allowed... Yet...)
There's talking like a Dirtbag.
Ahhhh... Yes... That last one must be my favorite.
I could, myself, walk in to a bar and make the sailors rush out red faced and choking on the remnants of their beers. However, since I tend to be on the more reserved side of things (sometimes) it's not often I get the opportunity to flex my Dirtbag-mouth.

Heh, that could be taken a different way than it was meant... But so be it.

So let the merriment, festivities and events commence....
And behold the wonder of free flowing alcohol.

Ladies and gentleman... It's sure going to be a night tonight....
And perhaps, if you're lucky, I'll even bring the camera.

O_o

Big GEEK Alert! Warning! Nerd Ahead!

Ok, so surfing today.

The reason I'm home? Easy. Someone at work showed up sick, knowing it was bad.
Me? I have extremely bad asthma... Died three times, blah blah blah. I've been ok. It's been 10 years since the last time I died. So yes, to answer your questions, I'm ok.

Anyways.... Since I have bronchitis, badly, and I'm ordered home until I get cleared by the hospital to get back to work (grumble) I've taken the opportunity to sit quietly on my couch and "order" my body to behave and recuperate quickly. So far... It seems to have worked mostly. The lungs still aren't cooperating.
Figures.

SO.
Poking online, I came across the BEST keyboard I have ever seen in my LIFE.

Seriously.
I want one.
It's most definitely the OPTIMUS MAXIMUS keyboard from thinkgeek.com

<---- LOOK Seriously- each KEY on the board is a mini SCREEN!
I mean... How much COOLER can you get?!

My dilemma is this.
I'm totally a Mac kid.
My next computer will be a MacBookAir.
Already decided have I, this computer I will have.

But leave it to me to find something totally AWESEOME... And nooooo, not gonna really ever be able to use it. However... I just read in the description... It IS compatible with Mac... *does a little dance*

The one and only drawback I can see to this keyboard... Is the pricetag.

I mean come on, it's a beautiful creation! It's innovative! It's got freaking OLED SCREENS on each KEY!

And look---->
Built in USB and SD card slots!!
<3>
Ok here are the specs:

Product Features

• Revolutionary Keyboard Features a tiny OLED screen on each key. 113 screens total.
• Each key can be individually programmed to perform a series of functions, open an application or run an Applescript (Mac only)
• Various System Monitor functions can dynamically display on a key including CPU usage, CPU temperature, Network Speed, and Memory Usage
• Play a GIF animation or Quicktime movie on a Key
• Paint images across all keys at once in your image editor of choice
• Key sets can be linked to an application, so whenever you open that app the appropriate keys come up
• Powerful layer function allows you to combine existing key sets in different ways
• Use any language with the appropriate key images including Cyrillic, Ancient Greek, Georgian, Arabic, Quenya, and Hiragana.
• Display notes, numerals, special symbols, HTML codes, math functions or any other special symbol.
• Any key (or to be exact, a unit consisting of a cap, a microchip and a display) can be easily removed by hands to be cleaned or replaced
• Built in USB hub
• SD Card Slot for Storing keyboard Settings

System Requirements

• PC with installed OS Windows XP or Vista, with a USB 1.1 (or better 2.0) port; Mac OS X 10.5.1 or higher.
• At least 20 MB of free space on hard drive.
• At least 256 MB of RAM.

Product Specifications

• Keyboard Dimensions: Length 537 mm, Width 173 mm, Height 38 mm
• Key Dimensions: 20.2 x 20.2 mm
• Display Dimensions: 10.1 x 10.1 mm viewable area on each key
• Display Resolution: 48 x 48 pixels per key
• Frame Rate: 10 FPS
• Color Depth: 65,536 Colors
• Viewing Angle: 160 degrees

I totally want this.

At $1,599 it's a bit of a stretch on the purse...
But come on. BRAGGING rights people!
I can imagine it now, my friends all jealous since I don't play WoW and they do. They totally want to program the keys the way they want, the screens showing program icons and move keys and more and more and more...
And I, instead, have it hot-keyed for all my silly girl stuff, jewelry sites, fan pages, sparkles and of course- my blog!
I happen to like that idea the best.

Anyone want to get it for me? =oD

Introduction to be made, I suppose.

Well. Where to start.
I'm a 28 year old girl, living far far away from home and family.
However, that didn't stop the hilarity of situations from following me anywhere I seem to go.

Yep, a New England girl through and through... I dug up my roots, moved thousands of miles away (at least it seems like it's that far) and re-potted myself down here in Northern VA.
Why move?
Well, I'm not attached, no kids, no "baggage". It was quite simple for me to make the choice to pack up and move down here. Cut to February 2008, my birthday. Fired hours later. After that, current boyfriend dumped me.

Has anyone else had such a birthday!?
I sure hope not... It was AWFUL.
And since things couldn't just be simple and bad enough as it was... There was a funeral I had to go to also. Wonderful.

But that's what got the wheel turning to get my butt down here, for a "visit", and ultimately to stay.
I have to say- I'm liking it OK.
Maybe my opinion will change with the addition of some nice folks.

I don't know why us "Yankees" get such a bad name... It seems like anyone I talk to, who doesn't first know that I'm actually a real New Englander, has a bad opinion of them.
"They're so dry."
"Oh, no sense of humor."
"They're awfully short, don't like to talk much."
And my personal favorite... "They're just not friendly!"

Um... Yes, we ARE friendly!
I can't tell you HOW many times I've simply smiled at someone here in VA, and I get a stare out of the corner of their eyes like my head is about to explode and spew my bloody brains all over them.
Or even gathered up the balls to say "Good Morning!" to someone, just to have them snarl at me.
WTF?!

I didn't do anything wrong.
Sorry if I try to be friendly or something, it's what I was brought up to do.
Treat others as you would like to be treated. But I have a sneaking suspicion that if I were to do that down here... I'd be one nasty person.

*sighs*

Maybe one day, the rest of the world will get it.

I, however... Doubt that!

So I'll just keep making funny faces at the mean people behind their backs.
I'll keep cussing out stupid drivers that don't know how to use the blinker function in their vehicle.
(especially Marylanders...)
I come up with creative ways to get back at people.
Suggestions are always welcome, too!