Monthly Archives: November 2008

There are bars and pubs up and down the streets of Old Town Alexandria. The cobblestone sidewalks and people dressed in colonial outfits make the place look and feel… olde, with an e.

Fish Market is towards the end of King Street near the water. The outside window has a display of clams and oysters buried in ice and a guy shucking oysters right in front of passersby. How can you not walk in after seeing how fresh their seafood is?! Even a non-oyster sucker like me can appreciate the freshness. The ambiance is rustic and friendly. Nothing dressy. Nothing pretentious. And the service is helpful without being helicopter-hovery. The kitchen is wide open for anyone sitting in the back or walking by to see. They have nothing to hide.

I hear these things are tasty. The big ones are particularly oceany and delicious. So I hear.

The Seafood Stew had potatoes, crab meat, two kinds of fish (haddock and salmon), and two other shellfish I can’t remember. A wonderful way to warm your belly!

When I saw the half pound of Spiced Shrimp on the menu, I was expecting your typical Old Bay steamed shrimp. Not these babies. Spices included peppercorns, lemongrass, scallions, cloves, and bay leaf. They’re kind of swimming in oil toward the bottom of the plate though so you have to rescue them at the end. Very flavorful.

See all that seafood?! The pasta is buried underneath, and even though the sauce and pasta part weren’t as good as Cantina D’Italia’s, the seafood was so fresh and cooked just right, it made the dish. I’m not usually a fan of calamari, unless it’s fried, but these were excellent! So tender. Nothing was overdone or rubbery. It was a generously sized portion of food too. If you get appetizers, you can easily share the entree.

I was taking a ride with my coworker when something shiny in the back of her car caught my eye…

“What. Is. This?” I asked. “OOOHh!!! I wanna see this!” “Mind if I take a peek?” I’m so impressed with my politeness and calm controlled reaction. Usually by the time I took to say those three lines I would’ve already emptied out the entire contents of it and gone through half the stuff. But this is a coworker. I need to display some modicum of professionalism. “I HAVE to look at this OMG!!” *pop* I’m opening the box.

Look at this makeup!!

Get a good close look. There is so much eyeshadow in here, I can’t imagine she doesn’t have at least one of every color!

“Oh that’s just my travel makeup I leave in my car.” “I have at lot more at home,” she says.

I fall over from the thought that there is more at home. I have Cover Girl blush. I have Maybelline mascara, which by the way, I do not recommend unless you like looking like a raccoon or you have eyelash curlers. I have about 16 different eyeshadow colors all “free gift with purchase” gotten. I have 9 eyeliners. I keep my stuff in a makeup bag no bigger than the two of my hands put together. This? This is crazy to me. I love it!! I’d be content with just the travel selection. Just. It’s not that much. Just oh a gajillion eyeliners, lip things, pigments (I don’t even know what those are or how to use them), and eye shadows.

I tell her about my drugstore makeup.
She says “I used Cover Girl when I was 12. With make up, I think you’re at about Jr. High level.”

“Yeah, no kidding. Try kindergarten.”

Train case brought to you by Target. Makeup by MAC.

No more radio ads.
No more tv ads.
No more phone calls with stupid recordings.
No more junk mailings.
No more lawn signs.
No more mudslinging.
No more Tina Fey having to do Palin ever again. I’m sure of this.
No more.

I don’t understand finance and I’m trying to take a midterm exam on finance.  It’s so bad that if I hear IRR and NPV in the same sentence, my brain goes into shutdown mode.  That could be why I don’t understand finance.  This weekend, I have:

• Downed over 10 cups of coffee.  I’m about to make a fresh pot now.
• Emailed my professor with questions over 10 times.  To the point where he replied: “Both of these questions are things that we have covered in class. I cannot do the exam for you.”  To be fair, I was asking him if my approach/interpretation of the problem was correct, which was probably a bit too much detail.
• Learned more about finance through Investopedia and the textbook than the professor’s stinkin’ notes and slides.
• Banged head on keyboard – multiple times.
• Checked Facebook just to read everyone else’s complaints and make myself feel better.
• Checked Sephora.com for some Internet-window-shopping therapy.
• Complained to a certain few people about my predicament.  Every other sentence that comes out of my mouth is, “what the eff?!?!”

Here’s the thing about facial sunblocks: They’re gunky.  Sometimes they make you break out.  They also keep the sun from messing with your skin.  I’ve been on a quest of find a good product for a long time.  Years.  These aren’t the only ones I’ve tried, but they’ve been the ones I’ve tried the most extensively and are worthy of mentioning.  An example of something I wouldn’t mention is Olay Complete Defense Daily UV Moisturizer because I used it so long ago and stopped.  And all I can think of is, it must’ve been not that great cuz I’m not using it anymore!

• Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry-Touch – This is an excellent product. I’ve gone through countless tubes of it ever since it came out. What I don’t like about it is it leaves a film of shine and white on my face. Also, after applying it, I often get dried up bits on my eyebrows that look like I’m suffering from a bad case of brow dander. It’s a powerful product though. I took it to Australia and my face never burned, whereas my legs and arms did. Usually it’s the other way around. Your face is always exposed so you’d think it’d be more prone to burning.
• Aveeno Sunblock Lotion Advanced Continuous Protection – I got this in the hopes that it would blend easier and be less greasy. Turns out it’s actually greasier.  I don’t know if I got a bad tube or what but whenever I tried to squeeze out some product, I’d get a bunch of grease before the cream part came out.  I think the grease separated.  A bit yuck.  But it’s a strong product.  Something that you might use if you’re going to the pool or beach.
• Aveeno Sunblock Lotion Face Continuous Protection – I looked pasty pale when I used this (which probably means it’s really doing its job), but I really don’t want to look like the the undead all day long. Again, good for when you’re heading to the beach or staying out in the sun.
• Aveeno Active Naturals Positively Ageless Lifting and Firming Daily Moisturizer – The name is too long!  Aside from that, this one feels very smooth on my face, nothing at all like a sunblock.  Conveniently, it leaves my skin primed for makeup because it doesn’t dry sticky.  There must be dimethicone in here.  When I use this, I skip the primer.  Having 3 layers, sunblock, primer, makeup just makes my face feel *uhggg-hhaaa* Can’t Breathe!  The only issue I have with this is right when I apply it, it stings.  And no, I didn’t notice any lifting or firming going on.
• Shiseido Ultimate Sun Protection Cream – This product is wonderful. It’s doesn’t leave you looking shiny-greasy but you might get a little bit of whiteness if you’re not careful applying it. Other than that, it’s perfect. Smells great too, though I know some people don’t like fragrance on their facial products. The drawback – it sets you back $33 for 2 oz. You have to pay for all that wonderfulness.  If you’re traveling somewhere tropical, pack this with you for when you want to look nice for all those picturesque photos!!  You don’t want to come home from wherever with a batch of SHINY FOREHEAD PHOTOS!  Not that that ever happened to me or anything.
• Neutrogena Healthy Defense Daily Moisturizer – My top pick! I just started using it a few weeks ago and it is exactly what I’m looking for in a daily day moisturizer. It spreads easily, leaving my face feeling like it can still breathe. It has a relatively matte finish (as sunblocks go) and is non-greasy. The most important thing – no white streaks or eyebrow dander. It is worth the $13!

“Guess what Mom did?”
“What?”
“She sat on her fingers and smashed them on the chair. Like serious, Chinese ointment-worthy smashing.”
“Hahaha!! She sat on her own fingers?!”
“Yeah. Dad didn’t say a word. Unfazed.”