Baxter Bark Twice

Do as I say, never as I do

Posts Tagged ‘atlanta’

Is this thing on?

Posted by AllieB on March 17, 2016

Hello? Hi. I know it’s been awhile blah blah I’ve got news!

I’m going to business school! In Atlanta! I’m enrolled in the full-time program at Georgia Tech’s Scheller College of Business and I’m moving in July. When I first began considering schools, Tech wasn’t even on my radar because Tech is where nerds go, but then I remembered I’m pretty nerdy. Also, it’s a good and becoming great school doing a lot of cool business-y stuff in ATL and elsewhere, but what really sealed the deal is that Amazon is opening a brick and mortar store on campus this summer. It came down to Tech, Emory, and UGA, but the decision more or less much made itself: when you know, you know – ya know? I’m super pumped to go back to school: I’m excited to learn new things and maybe be president of some clubs, to make new friends and buy school supplies (!!), and I can’t wait to explore ATL – it’s like a completely different city from when I left four years ago. Speaking of: do you or anyone you know own a condo or residence in Midtown/VA High/Inman Park they want to lease to a responsible, easy tenant who can handle many of her own minor home repairs? Yas. Call me. Living in New York is the coolest thing I’ve ever done, and I’m a better person for it, but I’m ready for what’s next.

me in emoji

This is basically who I am now. +2 points to Tech for having a mascot that’s also an emoji – I didn’t even factor that into my decision-making process

I would like to comment on the whole studying/test-taking/application/interviewing/waiting business school process in that it SUCKS. It’s a scary thing announcing your intentions then having no idea how it will all pan out, no matter how hard you work or how many deals you make with The Man Upstairs. The reason I haven’t written in so long is because I was wallowing in depths of the unknown and uncertainty and had nothing but tales of woe to offer. My blood pressure was scary-high, and I was turning into a real betch displaying borderline manic traits. For three solid months I had nightly nightmares wherein I was not only denied by every school – including some schools I hadn’t even applied to – but, in addition to the scathing decision letter detailing said denial, I was forced to sit in front of the Admissions Committee while they literally pointed and laughed at me. The spiral…it was real.

Anyway, I’m totes fine now. Next up: the compilation and subsequent pursuit of my #NYCBucketList. I read the BBT from June 2012 that plotted my #ATLBucketList prior to moving up here, and it turns out I did exactly zero of the things. My 2012 self was really lazy. Who wants to take the tram to Roosevelt Island?!

Besides school stuff – and honestly, there hasn’t been much besides that – things are as ever. Winter was a nonevent. I visited Char and SRM in Seattle and have been to ATL a lot. I lost my medallion status on Delta and now fly all of the airlines which I’ll get into another time if you’re lucky; Southwest has a truly confounding business model. I drew this “map” a few months ago and it took me the better part of a Tuesday to do, so I’m forcing it into the post then we’ll never talk about my commute again. Yeah, that’s a lie. Two to four times/week I board the Metro North to Greenwich, CT, an enclave of wealth northeast of the city that makes Buckhead look like a hole, to work in my company’s Connecticut office. While it really is beautiful and it’s nice to get out of the city, the trek to and from – as my map very clearly illustrates - is not great.

the journey

Get it?? Girl on the TrainS?? On Fridays I treat myself to train beers for the ride home, and, as someone who has had multiple people take pictures of me sleeping, I sometimes like to pay it forward. Also pictured: the office. See – it’s nice, it’s just..not in New York.

Greenwich

This is easily the worst ending of all time, but I’m gonna leave it here with the promise I’m getting back on track. It’s like Senior Spring for me: we’re already hiring peeps for my replacement(s), and I’m on public transit like 12 hours per week - what else do I have to do besides write BBTs and search property tax records of old-mansions-turned-newly-renovated-condos south of Piedmont Park that I’d like to live in but whose units are rarely listed?? Friendly reminder: today is not only St Patty’s Day but also the first day of March Madness, plus it’s Thursday on top of all that, so be careful out there…and don’t you dare pinch me.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY FLEMBOT!

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That Went Well: A Year in Review

Posted by AllieB on December 18, 2014

When it comes to making personal goals, it’s important to be realistic. I reread the post I wrote back in January that listed out what I hoped to achieve in 2014, and, I must say: I did quite well for myself. There’s that quote on Pinterest, “Shoot for Moon. Even if you miss, you’ll still be among the stars” but I prefer a more grounded and less astronomical approach, and I think we can all agree this strategy made for a pretty impressive year-end review:

1. Use my passport: Oui, je suis allé à France! (thank you Mom and Dad)

2. Be physically active for 30 mins each day: maybe not each day…most days though, for sure. The original post also mentioned “leaving apartment every day” as a goal, and overall I am pleased with my performance. Leaving the apartment on Sundays is not as easy as it sounds.

3. I was a non-presence on the Buzzfeed post “The 30 Dumbest Things Drunk Women Have Ever Done” and I’m wondering where my trophy is?

4. Read less. I did not read less. Some might argue that this is not actually a bad thing, so I will still count the loss as a win. And, while I did not publish anything outside of BBT, I DID work up a portfolio of best works and it’s almost ready to send out…almost. Honestly, I’m getting sick of reading people writing articles that I could have done – like this girl who lived according to the Pinterest Popular Page. I think she did a great job – she’s not annoying and it’s actually a font of useful information (an at-home gel mani that really works!) – but…I wanna do stuff like that. Credit: KReav.

5. Sign up for zero marathons. Well….full disclosure: I did sign up for the New York Marathon but at the behest of my sister Charlotte, and she ran it as me. This will also be filed as a W because now when I Goog myself you Goog me it looks like I not only ran a marathon, but that I hauled ass.

6269, Allie Baxter, New York, 03:38:14.

And I’d be remiss to leave this off my list of triumphs:

6. I unlocked the highest, most premium level of membership at Sephora: VIB Rouge. There was a parade and everything

I plan to ride this wave of success right into 2015.

In other BBT related news, my most read post of the year also happens to be one of my personal faves and is full of legitimately useful information: How to Lose Friends & Alienate People. Another one of my favorite things on BBT this year: this visual aid that I made on Excel using a false set of data to generate a line graph and some clip art (I don’t think enough people read the original post on which it was first featured, and I don’t want anyone to miss out):

my-will-to-live-2_Page_1

I can’t wait to see how this year stacks up :|

So, that went well… I hope you all have similarly positive feelings towards your 2014s.

The most newsworthy news of the week, maybe of month, even possibly of  year: Instagram added five new filters…! This is the first filtration addition since 2012, so it’s a big. freaking. deal. Here they are as shown by me:

new instagram filters

Clockwise from left: Slumber; Crema; Ludwig; Aden; Perpetua. Another tweak is that you can arrange your filters in the order of which you like/use them, so adios Hefe. Q of the D: what would you name an Instagram filter? For some reason “Lush” was the first word that popped into my head, and I can’t get past it. Lush as in lush fabric not lush like “have another cocktail, you lush.” Lush.

I’ve had a hard time getting amped up for the holidaze. I haven’t done any of my own Christmas shopping, and we’re not having our Annual Fireball and Pigs in Blankets Gala…Santa who? When I realized I’ll be back in ATL in just a few days, I was like, wait a minute - that’s only a few days to take advantage of NYC at Christmas, and when I get back it will be January…and you know who’s born in January: the devil.^

^This is according to my line graph, shown above. Will you just look at the damn thing already thank you.

So, I got my sh*t together, and now I’m feeling festive AF. On Tuesday, thanks to ole FlemWad’s planning, we wrapped gifts for children for the USPS Operation Santa project. Bringing joy to others is a great way to get into the holiday spirit. I had to run an errand uptown on Wednesday, so I took a detour down Fifth Avenue to take in the windows of Bergdorf’s, the bling on Tiffany & Co., and the tree at 30 Rock – nothing says Merry Christmas like nudging tourists into oncoming traffic. I have holiday-related activities every night up here before I go, and when I get home to ATL I’m going directly to the light display at the Atlanta Botanical Garden (seriously, do y’all just want to pick me up at the Arts Center Marta station and we can go straight there? LMK)…I might be tardy to this party, but I’m coming in h-o-t.

NYC Christmas

 The pic on the top right is a window at Bergdorf’s. Not sure it really gets my or their point across, but I like all the pretty colors. Merry Christmas from the freaky mannequin.

And now for a demonstration of my signature move: the Irish Goodbye. HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO YOU AND YOURS!!! xo

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10 Things About Fall & Other Stuff

Posted by AllieB on October 9, 2014

It’s fall, y’all! Fall, according to the Goog, is the most popular of all the seasons, so here are 10 things about fall and other stuff, then I added two more items at the end so I guess 12 things total. I try to mix it up; BBT is NOT some basic fall-loving betch who only talks about new sweaters and pumpkin spice lattes.

1. This is me not talking about pumpkin spice lattes – never had one; I don’t care; you do you but maybe consider the sugar content

2. TV is not only back, but there are a lot of new shows to check out: How to Get Away with Murder premiered two weeks ago, and, besides its annoying name (HTGAWM henceforth), BBT highly recommends. Marry Me has such potential (Penny from Happy Endings! Ron from Party Down!) and, I’m embarrassed to say this, Selfie might not suck… Homeland wrapped up some very tired story lines (smell ya later Brody) and the season premiere shows much promise for good TV – just so long as Carrie never touches her child, or anyone else’s, ever again. Lastly, I watched the first episode of The Affair last night – I am IN. It caught my eye earlier this year when I heard about the cast (Pacey Witter! Maura Tierney! Jimmy McNulty from the Wire!) and, based on the first epi, it is everything I hoped it would be.

3. I got stung – stung bad – by a bee in Idaho last weekend. I hope it died.

sun valley

Idaho – who knew? (I know other people knew, but I didn’t) CONGRATS Nandi & Duncan!

4. 31 Dog Reactions for Everyday Situations – this is perfect, please click thru (#’s 1, 2, 9, 12, 14, 16 – 25, 31)

5. I’m not implying that all kids raised in NYC are brats, but I have observed a heightened level of the ridiculous when it comes to parenting up here. Case in point: I was recently at my local Whole Foods doing my daily shopping of only things I needed right that moment (nothing if not practical!), and I noticed a father and his two children, a boy and a girl both under age of 4, in the midst of truly epic meltdown. The girl, the younger of the two, had collapsed on the ground and was crying that especially aggressive silent cry where her mouth was open and her body was heaving but no sound was coming out. Not to be overlooked, the boy had wrapped himself around his father’s leg while he cried a more subdued whimper but with double the snot and tears. Dad, to his credit, wasn’t freaking out but I think this is likely because he’d checked out entirely to his mental happy place. “Woof” I thought, as I skirted by them to get in line, “I wonder how much longer he’s going to let this go on..” I also may have thought things like, “get your sh*t together little girl” and “can someone please wipe this kid’s nose”

Finally, something yanked Dad back to reality – maybe it was that his daughter hadn’t taken a proper breath in like a minute – and suddenly he was totally, 100% over it. His eyes darkened as he inhaled deeply….”PENELOPE! ALVIN! THAT. IS. IT! When we get home….NO soy dream for you.”

Aaaaand you lost me. Hey, buddy, FYI: the moment you named your kids Pompous and Arrogant you gave them license to behave like jerks. I want to give him the benefit of the doubt that one or both had some sort of dairy allergy, explaining why soy dream was the most glorious treat in which they’re allowed to indulge thus the absolute worst thing he could take away…but with names like that, it’s hard. My advice? Sign the girl up for soccer, the boy up for football, and cancel all lessons involving wind and string instruments. There’s still hope.

*Note: when I have kids one day and name them Philomena and Astrid and they go mental at the grocery store you can remind me of this post.

**Y’all know I’d never name my kids that.

***Confession: I played the Alto Sax in third grade. It was a risky move but I pulled it off. Penelope – not so much.

****I don’t know anyone named Penelope or Alvin, do I?

6. Jimmy Fallon + EW! = watch this.

7. My Father, The Hero (?)

Just kidding. Dude, that's too much...and when this pot calls you black, you better recognize

Dude, that’s too much…and when this pot calls you black, you better recognize

8. All the hilar Insta accounts you need to follow, give or take a couple – there’s really something for everyone. You should check out that blog regardless, @AshHess is doing good stuff over there. Thank you, Witty & Pretty!

9. Brush up on history with a healthy side of scandal and intrigue with After Camelot, a sweeping biography of the whole Kennedy family – there are lot of them, so it’s long, but you can breeze right through it.

10. This week in That Is Brand New Information: Todd Gurley is a Badass

Georgia running back Todd Gurley completes 50-yard pass (GIF)

I could watch these all day.

Here's the GIF of Georgia's Todd Gurley running like Marshawn Lynch against Clemson.  -- (Via @SBNation)

***UPDATE 10/10: I posted this yesterday before the TRAGIC news that TGII had been suspended. Why God. Why. I am 100% #teamtodd and still think he’s one of the good ones – he’ll get thru this and go on to have an amazing career and keep a clean record all the while, of that I am sure, and in the meantime us Georgia fans will have to hunker down and deal with the hard knocks that we should by now be used to/expect. TEAM TODD!!!

Bonus #11: I needed a crisp white button down to go with my outfit yesterday, but I couldn’t find the iron because we don’t own one, so I used my straightener instead – it totally worked! A tip from me to you: best to remove the shirt then iron as opposed to keeping on shirt whilst wielding a piping hot wand of heat near your skin.

Super Bonus #12: I think we already knew as much, but I asked Siri the other night who’s the fairest of them all, and…well:

fairest one of all

And there you are – a BBT for your Thursday. Boom.

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F is for Fur

Posted by AllieB on March 13, 2014

Hello. I was sorting through my closet recently, and I was sad to realize I probably wouldn’t have occasion to wear my fur vest again this season. Well aren’t I the lucky one because today dawned 18 degrees with 30mph winds… I’ll probably be sporting this thing thru May. Happy Memorial Day love BBT and her vest.

I digress. Let’s get to the heart of today’s relevant matters:

1. GET YOUR GD GIRL SCOUT COOKIES AWAY FROM ME

2. Atlanta was excellent. It made me really excited for spring up here…I still believe in seasons, and Mother Nature will reward me for my loyalty.

atl collage From top left:

  • this is something fun you can do in Snapchat – add your mph as you snap! This was taken on a stroll around Chastain Park. #haulingA #tryharder #grannycangofaster
  • Silly Sally!! She was an absolute delight, and a very willing participant in this photo (BBT: do something about your hairs)
  • ATL as seen from Casa di K via the skillz of Professional Snapper, A
  • Ok, this isn’t ATL, it was on the subway the other morning – but is that not B.D. Wong?? I’ve been watching a lot of Law & Order: SVU recently, but I’m pretty sure it’s him…

3. BIG news: I have a new favorite mascara…! My gold standard L’Oreal Voluminous will always have a place in my makeup bag, but I recently purchased L’Oreal Voluminous Butterfly Mascara because who could resist a “revolutionary butterfly brush” that will give my lashes a “winged-out effect.” Turns out – it actually does what it says! I curl my lashes 9 out of 10 times before putting on mascara, but some mornings I’m like, “ain’t nobody got time for that.” The technologically advanced makeup brush really did extend the outer corners of my lashes while providing the usual 6x my normal volume. It absolutely does not replace an eyelash curler, but for those mornings when you just can’t handle that extra, 3 second step, it gets the job done.

l-oreal-paris-voluminous-butterfly-mascara

4. Hello, PornBurger. The craziest thing is that this dude makes all these up himself – I will pay him $1 million to open a restaurant. Or maybe we can just get married?

pornburger_thefullmounty

 oh hey.

5. WHERE IS THAT AIRPLANE? Seriously though – where is it? This is beyond bizarre.

It doesn’t even feel like a Thursday – it feels like a horrible parallel universe version of Thursday that lasts 72 hours and all you want is that glass of wine you’ve legitimately earned (for once) and you can see it but you can’t reach it…. That doesn’t even make sense. I gotta get out of here. Suffice it to say, I am ready for the weekend.

ready to party

 Yep. Happy Weekend from BBT and her vest

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Absence makes the heart grow fonder…

Posted by AllieB on March 6, 2014

…or does it? Sometimes I just want what I want when I want it, and barring access to something that I want seems needlessly cruel. For this reason, I often choose not to partake in Lent – most of the time I fail and then some: I end up doing (eating) whatever it is I decided not to do (eat) even more than I did in the first place. However, now that I am in the latter part of my 31st year, I think maybe I should try adulthood on for size. Challenge: accepted.

This year I am giving up pasta & pizza. Monday thru Thursday this will be a cake walk mmm cake but come Friday, Saturday, and Sunday…well, I’m going to have to dig deep. Every weekend I have one or the other or both, and I am already concerned about what I’ll have instead. Like, seriously, what does one eat on Sunday if not the homemade Fettucini Al Sugo Toscano from Max Trattoria? I guess I’ll find out. This also means no more Pizza Friday….I did not think this through. I wish I’d given up cake.

ravioli - Lent

My Last Supper on Tuesday. I am not even kidding: this meal of Whole Foods Cheese Ravioli on a bed of sauteed spinach is the closest I’ve ever come to Stuffed Pasta Heaven. It goes without saying that I am adroit in the kitchen, particularly when it comes to boiling water, but that crack they put in the ravioli is damn good. You can find these pastas in the refrigerated pasta section at your local Whole Foods.

At least I’m not the only one who’s concerned about making it thru the Lenten season:

Hilary:  yuuuum wait did you give up pasta for lent?

me:  pasta and pizza

Hilary:  oy vey. i thought about giving up fried foods. but i can’t seem to pull the triggeri need to though

me:  it’s really only going to be a problem on the wknds when that’s pretty much all i eat

Hilary:  yeah i’m going to do it. no fried foods for 40 days

me:  there ya go

Hilary:  OMG I WISH I WAS DEAD ALREADY

You’re an inspiration to us all, Hildebeast.

I’m heading south manana!! Ahh, ATL – I have missed you…I’m excited about the following:

  • Seeing G-Force, Geoffrey, and frands. If you’re one of the lucky ones, BOLO for a huge MASH. Hilary, you can BOLO for a cold shoulder and a look of disinterest
  • Driving a car. I miss having a whip. Plus, riding in a car pretty much eradicates any chance of you sitting in a stranger’s lap
  • CHEESE DIP. If you need me, I’ll be by the queso.
  • Weather that is not this. I don’t even bother looking at the forecast anymore – I just automatically don my puffer, boots, scarf, and ear warmers before leaving the house
  • Taking long walks and cozy naps with this ANGEL MUFFIN, Sally, the lab my parents are temporarily hosting via Atlanta Lab Rescue.

SALLY

Ijustwannasqueeeeeeeezeherangelmuffinface

Look at that – me & ATL is a perfect example of absence making the heart grow fonder…guess it can go either way #themindreels

Elsewhere on the interweb:

-Buzzfeed did some good work (The 54 Best GIFs of 2012 & The 41 Most Awkward Things That Have Ever Happened)

The 54 Best Animated GIFs Of 2012

wait for it….

The 41 Most Awkward Things That Have Ever Happened

Awkward Nirvana + Charles Barkley

Witty + Pretty told the truth about girls and their favorite fat foods in honor of Fat Tuesday.

WHO IS THE YELLOW KING?? We find out on Sunday…

Guys, I very nearly didn’t write today (I think you can probably see why, if you’ve even made it to the end to read this), but I’ve written every single week of 2014 – can’t let this hot streak fizzle. Happy Thursday to you and yours! A, pour me out some of that hashtagwine in prep for my imminent arrival…

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