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July 29, 2005

Starr Hopping

I blogged earlier this week about going to El Vez this past weekend. Dan suggested that there was no reason to limit oneself to one restaurant per-night, however, he didn't know the best way to traverse through them all.
I reported this to Scott, along with my wish to annotate an online map with the information, and Scott helped me find Mapbuilder.net, where I could do just that.
I present to you, a Map of Steven Starr Restaurants in Philadelphia. The only things left to decide: Which side of Philly to start on, and when we're all going to go!

Posted by Janice Ryan at 12:10 AM | Comments (0)

My favorite thing from Live 8

Okay, so I'm reeaaaly slow...I had to manipulate an image, and that took time and effort. However, despite that I wasn't actually at Live 8, I have a favorite memory of it anway:

The potty balloon! This is just one of those things that makes me smile...

Posted by Janice Ryan at 12:05 AM | Comments (0)

July 28, 2005

I am not so trendy

I may like the trendy restaurants, but I have now thrown away the shoes I wear to them.
On Saturday, I wore a pair of strappy white sandals that I think I've owned for about 5 years. I think I've worn them about 5 times, too. After wearing them this time, I ended up with no less than 5 blisters on my feet. I've tried varied ways of making them more comfortable, but it's never really worked. They were cute, but I am just not trendy enough to keep shoes that ALWAYS hurt my feet. So they're in the charity pile now.
What will I do for shoes for going out now? Well, I've got a few others that aren't murder on my toes, but if it doesn't work out, I have Zappos. I love that site - I can sort by exactly what I want - white strappy sandals with a 1.5 to 2.5 inch heel - then read the comments of other shoppers to see if they're worth a try. If they turn out bad, well, free return shipping will fix it.
I many not be so trendy, but I am so smart!

Posted by Janice Ryan at 11:37 PM | Comments (3)

July 26, 2005

I am trendy

I am trendy: I must admit. I haven't met a Steven Starr restaurant that I haven't liked. Granted, I've only been to a few of them, but I like them all. The food is excellent and distinctive. The drink menu is different and inventive at each one. And they have a lot of atmosphere. The theming is strong, but interesting. There are cool patterns on the wall to look at, or unusual shapes to the furniture, or just a throwback retro feel that could almost be qualified at kitschy. Yes, they're the height of trendy restaurants, but I just like them.

Terry and I went on a date this weekend to El Vez. It was the second time I'd been there, and I had a great time. We arrived kinda late on a Saturday night, we got a roomy booth near the window, which was spacious and actually kinda quiet.
I did miss the Blood Orange Margarita, which I'm hoping is a seasonal flavor that will return come the cold. But I still really enjoyed the guacamole, despite the fact that I don't typically like guacamole, or anything else made from avacadoes. The crab quesadilla appetizer was good enough that we regretted agreeing to share. And the mahi-mahi tacos and creamed corn rice were delicious. Against my better judgement, I ate dessert, too, and despite being so full I wanted to sleep where I sat, I ate every bite of my yummy flan.

We're planning on having more of these dinner dates going forward, since we don't go out a lot. Terry and I are both homebodies who often give into the inertia of being home rather than get up and go out. But next month, I'm hoping to go to Striped Bass. I love seafood and I'm almost anxious to see what Starr's people have done with it. And what kind of mixed drinks go with seafood? Hopefully, time will tell.

Posted by Janice Ryan at 12:20 AM | Comments (1)

July 25, 2005

One year retrospective

I'm about two weeks overdue for this post, but roughly one year ago, Terry and I bought our townhouse and moved in together. The process of buying a house was scary and hectic, and I have no real desire to do it again any time soon. But that's okay, because one year later, I'm really happy with our house.

It's not perfect. It's often messy, and there are improvements that I would like to make if only we could afford them, which we can't. I spend less time by myself, which isn't always a good thing.

But, I like it. There's plenty of space. It has a simple, but kinda classy style while still being comfortable and practical. It's a nice, convienent neighborhood. People are pleased and/or impressed with it when they visit. While we haven't paid off a lot of our mortage, we've accomplished more than we could have by renting for another year. And it just feels good to know that it's ours. That we don't have to live with all white walls, or repaint all the blue ones when we finally decide to move on.

So what has happened in the past year? Well, I'm one year closer to finishing grad school, in May of 2006. I competed in my first Synchro Nationals. I finally got a real matress and stopped sleeping on a futon all the time (except when I nap on the couch, which will never stop). Kris and I bought a Disney Vacation Club membership. And, of course, there's the fact that Terry and I got engaged!

So, on this occasion, my one year houseaversary, I'm content with my accomplishments and excited for what the future holds. To many more...

Posted by Janice Ryan at 11:55 PM | Comments (1)

July 18, 2005

Turning off the lights

So, I have found myself wondering about how much power lights use when you initially turn them on vs. just leaving them on. I kind of remember being told at some point that if you're going to turn the light on again right away, there's no point to turning it off. You're going to use more power to turn it back on than by just leaving it on. Well, guess what!

IT'S NOT TRUE!!!

According to Trust Power, the burst of power being used when you turn the light on lasts .4 seconds. So, unless you stand there and just flip the switch constantly, trying to achieve an all-strobe environment, you're not going to use more power when you turn the light on and off.

This is good. My typical morning - leave bathroom after shower, turn off light. Realize I forgot my contact lenses, turn light back on. Turn light off. Realize I left my cell phone on the counter when I got my contacts. Turn light on and off again. Go back to getting ready. Realize I never brushed or combed my hair after shower. On. Off. Am I wearing deoderant? On. Off.

I feel better knowing I am only wasting time, and not energy. Of course, now that I wrote it all out, I realize just how much time I'm really wasting...oh, well. At least I don't have to get dressed in the dark.

Posted by Janice Ryan at 11:34 PM | Comments (0)

Double take

I was walking past Scott's desk last week, and I saw this:

I thought to myself, why did Scott leave a chcolate milkshake sitting around? Wait, isn't he away? What WAS that? So I took a few steps back, and looked again. Upon closer inspection, I saw:

A glass full of Silly Putty, with a Sharpie in it. Hmm. That's probably not as tasty. I think I liked it better when the glass was full of tootsie rolls...and no, I didn't try to eat the Silly Putty.

Posted by Janice Ryan at 8:59 PM | Comments (0)

July 10, 2005

Blocrastinating?

I'd like to introduce a new word into the internet lexicon:

blocrastinate-v. bl&-'kras-t&-"nAt, blO- - to procrastinate important tasks by blogging or reading other's blogs. -nat·ed; -nat·ing also blogcrastinate

Usage: I'm blocrastinating right now instead of doing my homework.

Posted by Janice Ryan at 2:29 PM | Comments (0)

July 1, 2005

Philadelphia Coke Commercial

Philadelphia has a distinctive skyline. The statue of Billy Penn was the first thing in the new "Chilltop" Coke Zero commercial that I thought I recognized (click on Chilltop to see it). On further inspection, or just later in the commercial, there are skyline shots, and, the real clincher, a Lew Blum towing sign.
I watched it a few times, used Google Maps Satellite images, and I think they're around S 11th St & Fitzwater. If I'd been quick enough to get the chance to download Google Earth, I might be a little more sure. As it is, Google Maps don't get quite close enough.

Posted by Janice Ryan at 6:50 PM | Comments (0)