Baxter Bark Twice

Do as I say, never as I do

Posts Tagged ‘thursday’

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Nothing nefarious here

Posted by AllieB on August 25, 2011

If I was hooked up to some kind of heart monitor or similar right now, there’d be flat line – flat line -flat line – teeny tiny blip – flat line…and so on. I did BLAST 900, which I’ve always thought was something of a cult. Honestly, I think this about all exercise trends, from yoga to boot camp to core fusion to jump roping – it’s all a load of BS; if you want to get in shape, go for a run. Well, be that as it may, I’ve had a hard time getting my act together in this suffocating heat. I may as well put a sopping wet comforter in the dryer for 15 minutes, take it out, wrap it around my face, then go running – it’s the exact same thing.

Anyway, so Blast: it was hard. I feel pretty good now, but I’ve been done for over an hour. I think I blacked out – I remember lying on my mat after the last segment and then suddenly I was in my apartment gchatting. So…I guess I got home safely. If I can scrounge up the cash monay I’ll for sure go back – given my tendency towards laziness and a markedly short attention span, it’s definitely up my alley.

I wish I could say, “up my alley” without feeling like a pervert.

Candles are nice for both scent and ambiance and I have a new found obsession with having one going in every room of my house. It’s a fire hazard, mayhaps, but damn if my place doesn’t smell divine. I just got this Lucia candle from Scout for the Home, the store my BFF Nancy Duffey owns and my go-to for gifts, knick knacks, and just general hanging out when I wish to be surrounded by pretty things. I highly recommend:

It’s just lovely.

I got some other random kind of candle on clearance at Target earlier – sea salt or something…it is decidedly less lovely.

Blast 900…candles…sheesh, what have I become??

That’s better I’m terribly sorry….

TGIT!!!

I leave you with this new(ish) song from Florence + The Machine…LIKE:

Posted in Arbitrary | Tagged: , , , | 2 Comments »

It just makes good sense

Posted by AllieB on August 18, 2011

Last year, I mentioned this article that ranked college towns and had the gall to list GAINESVILLE, FL as #1 spot with Athens, GA coming in at #2. I’m fairly certain the auteur of said article now serves cheeseburgers and fortunately someone infinitely wiser, more normal, and with the ability to tell the difference between the gutter and awesome has come out with a new ranking:

  1. Athens, Georgia

Athensga2_display_image

People who don’t care for college football (which is frankly, unthinkable) will find a rich art and music scene in the southern haven of Athens which also offers some truly unique eateries.

Yes, REM and the B-52s got their start down in Athens, but to the pure at heart, these are just side benefits to a town of 115,000 that keeps Sanford Stadium hopping with over 92,000 screaming fans as the Bulldogs take care of business down “between the hedges” on Saturday’s in the fall.

So, do you crave just one factoid about picturesque Athens?  Well, the university (which opened at the early date of 1785) shut down from 1863-66 due to the Civil War.

Source: Ranking the 31 Coolest College Towns (credit: Miss Bambi via FB – thanks, Miss Bambi!)

Gainesville still made the list, but at a much less respectable #11 or something, and I think I’d quite like to go to Corvallis, Oregon…on that note, Char and SRM – I hope you’re having a nice time driving cross country. I believe this morning finds them in Dallas, TX, home to temperatures above 100 degrees. Safe travels!

I was chatting with Caro yesterday about food (standard), and we were ruminating over the delight that is a fried egg, cheese, eng muffin (I opted for light Havarti and a bagel round), and hot sauce sammy…I did an $83 trip to the grocery store yesterday, just like a real live adult, and purchased all of the ingredients for said treat – YUM. I just made one for breakfast, and, if I had an iphone that could do the meal justice I would’ve shared a photog – my B’berry camera makes even the most delicious meals look like vom. It was quite a day at the grocer – heretofore my biggest purchase has been $30 or so… For awhile I followed around a Hot Mom decked head to toe in Lululemon. She pondered waffles for five minutes; I pondered waffles for five minutes. For the record: frozen waffles are GOOD. BP mentioned them awhile back, and I got some whole-grain varietal that is really, really tasty. Anyway, Miss Lulu got a bit wary of my shadow-game, so I had to forge out on my own…it was a far cry from my Grocery Store Shame of yesteryear, so I think that’s really something to be proud of.

The opposite of good sense: the Today Show is currently airing a section on padded bras and high heels for toddlers. Or, “tods,” right, Katie? Wonder if you’ll be pedaling platform pumps this weekend at the Mart…I blame Toddlers & Tiaras, a show I adamantly refuse to watch. High heels on 5 year olds is something only Suri Cruise can pull off.

I posted this on the BBT FB page yesterday, but this video of Anne Hathaway doing a Lil Wayne style rap is kind of amazing. In the words of Leila: even left field did not see this coming. Obviously need sound.

TGIT!

Posted in Celebs, Food & Drink | Tagged: , , , | 2 Comments »

How to be domestic, kind of

Posted by AllieB on June 2, 2011

Whenever I think about cooking something, I usually go buy it. However, in the rare occasion that I do mention a recipe, you really ought to pay attention because it means that whatever I am talking about is both really, really delicious and retardedly easy – like, so simple that even Domestic Allie can handle it.

So there we are: Tybee Island, GA. We had an awesome day of fishing on Nelson’s boat, and we even caught some stuff! Well, Yancey, Sis, and Pal did – I wrangled a horseshoe crab then body-slammed it back into the water. They almost called PETA on me and rightly so – I don’t know what came over me. Anyway, after our day on the boat, we decided to cook out at Yancey’s Mom’s house – this the view from the marsh dock; it’s pretty nice.

We had flounder, blueflish, whitefish…I think that’s it…and apps and a salad, but no dessert. The Baxter Fam used to spend summers at Pawley’s Island, and I have vague memories of Key Lime pie being a part of these trips, so that’s what came to mind. We had neither the time nor the interest in making our own pie, so we picked one up from Publix (totally acceptable under the circumstances, maybe like a 6.5 on a scale of 1 – 10).

If you plan ahead just a couple hours and have ten extra minutes on your hands, make the pie below. It is seriously better than any Key Lime pie I’ve ever had, anywhere. And if you’re like, “hey, I already have a recipe and it calls for Jell-O,” tear it up and try this one (Credit: Char).

Nellie & Joe’s Key Lime Pie

  • 9″ graham cracker pie crust (reduced fat works just fine)
  • 14 oz. can of sweetened condensed milk*
  • 3 egg yolks (whites not used)
  • ½ cup Nellie & Joe’s Key West Lime Juice
  • Whipped cream (I like CoolWhip Lite)

Combine milk, egg yolks and lime juice. Blend until smooth. Pour filling into pie crust and bake at 350º for 15 minutes. Allow to stand 20 minutes and then refrigerate for a couple of hours. If you’re pressed for time you can maybe get away with freezing it for 15-25 minutes. It’s edible immediately, but if you’re serving it to guests be sure to chill it. Just before serving, top with freshly whipped cream, or meringue, and garnish with lime slices.

*Charlotte, my older sister and expert baker, always makes me these pies when I go to visit her in SoFLA. She recently discovered that if you switch out regular condensed milk with a can from the Ethnic Foods Aisle, Hispanic Section, it’s even better.

It’s not every day that BBT shares not only a recipe, but a TOP SECRET INGREDIENT. You’re welcome.

Speaking of limes and things that are delicious, here’s Esquire Magazine’s recipe for a Moscow Mule (I almost used Oprah’s, but when it comes to booze I think Esquire is the more trustworthy source.). I like these spritzy beverages all year round, but they’re perfect for the furnace that is Atlanta’s summer. YUM I want one right now…it looks so refreshing…

 

 

Posted in Food & Drink, Imparting Wisdom | Tagged: , , , , , | 3 Comments »

That’s Enough Advice, Bark Twice

Posted by AllieB on April 14, 2011

For my third advice column, I’m doing actual questions asked by actual people…ish. I liberally paraphrased the following questions from multiple convos with multiple people, but I can do that because I call the shots around here.

Dear BBT,

I want to meet new boys – where/how can I do that?

-Single and Ready to Mingle

Dear Never Refer to Yourself as “Ready to Mingle” Again,

Service projects! Philanthropic social events! match.com! Irby Avenue!

I really have no idea. But what I do know is this: leave :| at home – no one wants to talk to Flat Face.

Dear BBT,

My friend is such a drama queen and I really don’t think I can take it anymore. I don’t want her to think I don’t care, but I also don’t think I can handle another second of her bitching and moaning. Thoughts?

-End of My Rope

Dear Join the Club,

Take it easy, JtC – being dramatic about another’s drama helps no one…I think lots of times people just go thru phases where they have their head so far up their own ass that they don’t know up from down. Maybe take a little breather – go invisi on gchat, hang out with a different group of friends for the weekend…sometimes space is the best medicine.

This is not good advice – space is the best medicine?? I really don’t know what to say…YOU’RE a drama queen.

Maybe I’m not as good at the wisdom imparting as I thought. I think I’ll stop now.

It’s just as well, anyway, because Zirkle #3 shared with me an amazing blog that is equal parts fascinating and terrifying – not only in subject matter, but also re: the domepiece of its creator. There’s obscure…and then there’s morphing famous celebs with Steve Buscemi’s eyes.

Anne Hathaway + Steve Buscemi's eyes = nightmares 4 life

I am repulsed, yet I can’t look away. There are so many awesomely horrible ones…Heidi is a favorite,  and the Kardashians…here – have a gander: Chicks with Steve Buscemeyes.

Posted in Arbitrary, Really? | Tagged: , , , , | 1 Comment »

Well, I’ll be…

Posted by AllieB on November 11, 2010

Gwyneth Paltrow – a jack of all trades: actress, singer, blogger, mother… Honestly, she seems like she’d be really, really boring to actually hang out with, but I thought she was great at the CMA’s last night!

I still think Goop is the most condescendingly superior piece of crap ever, but I nevertheless appreciate her skillz in other arenas – stick to the performing arts, Gwynnie, no one needs your homemade ricotta recipes or thoughts on Mary Magdalene…

Thursday! Or my Friday, actually, as I am taking the day off tomorrow for no other reason other than that I feel like it. Also, I have excess vacay days, and the holidays are always really busy around l’office, so I figure I better take what I can get.

As a longtime devotee of the Today Show, I am therefore subjected to our local 11 Alive news station as well. I still miss Flip Spiceland, but I have become a fan of Chesley McNeil – he’s a total nerd but in a very endearing way. Anyway, they give each daily forecast a rating using the Wizometer, which rates the weather on a scale of 1 – 11. On this day, on 11/11, Chesley gave today’s weather an 11. The 11 Alive weatherman gave today, 11/11, an 11. The mind reels.

I really do love Thursdays.

Posted in Arbitrary, Celebs | Tagged: , , , | 2 Comments »

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