Mmmm...macbar

I am proud to report that I have checked off one more thing on my Summer To Do List. I don't remember how I found out about the macbar, but since hearing about it I've wanted to do. In a serendipitous way, while at a networking event that I really wasn't feeling, I noticed two women eating out of macbar containers and asked them where it was. A few contacts later I made my great escape to start my quest for the macbar.

I have to admit that it was bit smaller than I expected, but I soon realized that this little noodle shaped establishment had a lot of personality. Offering macaroni and cheese with a variety of embellishments including spinach, corned beef, and lobster, they have definitely taken the mac and cheese we all remember from our childhood to a whole new level. Yet they somehow still evoke that nostalgia with the noodle shaped lunchboxesque containers (which you get to keep!) they serve the meals in.

Naturally I went with the Mayan Chipotle, which includes chicken diablo, chihuahua cheese (which I found out is actually a real cheese), and green onions. Even though it wasn't as spicy as I would've liked, the red pepper flakes and sriracha sauce readily available rectified that minor detail. My little noodle packed a big punch. Garnished with green onion shavings, which added a little extra flavor and an eversoslight crunch with each bite. It was definitely topped with an extra helping of cheese before being baked. After penetrating the initial layer of cheese, I found savory chunks of chicken that had enough flavor to stand on their own.

I can say that I thoroughly enjoyed my experience there. It was quaint. Everyone was friendly. It was an interestingly run operation. While there I noticed that they deliver...by skateboard! and that detail just fit too well.

Also while in the area I discovered a bookstore that was just too cute. The seating area had little personal sized tables that folded like books; The wall was lined with pages on a novel; And there were books suspended from the ceiling as light fixtures. When I have a reading room in a house of my own it will definitely have the feeling that I felt there.

Summer To Do List: I want to go higher!

Thanks to this assignment from Guts.Glam.Grace. Magazine, I have added rock climbing to my Summer To Do List!

And thanks to Life booker I'm adding skydiving to the list too.

Dear Brady Bunch

Dear Brady Bunch,

There once was a time when I wanted to work at Chuck E. Cheese. There was even a time when I did work at a summer camp (because I LOVE the kiddies). However. When I applied for this job the description did not include jumping over your child while balancing a tray of food. Nor did it include teaching your child the manners to not scream over everyone else when ordering (but after watching you do the same, it only makes sense).

Now don't get me wrong, I completely understand the abounding energy that resides within a child's body. I also understand that a child will only do as much as you allow him/her to do. As a once active child, I know for a fact that I NEVER ran around a restaurant (or I would not be alive to write this because my mother would have killed me with her glare alone).

And one last thing, please do not sit there and watch your child rip up napkins, open and empty sugar packets and throw food on the floor. OR let them but I will politely ask you to clean it up before you leave.

So next time please help your kids stay occupied with the crayons and paper we provide. We'll even go as far as to give you extra if necessary.

Signed,
NOT your child's camp counselor

P.S. If your child exhibits any of these behaviors, our photo source also happens to be an interesting article that may help.

Note: These letters ARE based on real life situations.

Dear Mr. Uninterested

Dear Mr. Uninterested,

Hi how are you doing today? Oh ok, you don't want to answer me? That's cool, but please don't be upset when I do not come back to your table. Yes, I will bring your drink and food, but please do not expect me to go out of my way to make any further conversation. When you ignored my attempt to be friendly, that hurt my feelings, and I do not want to talk to you anymore. Enjoy your meal...I hope you don't need anything else because, like you, I'm not interested.

Travel Tuesday: Deals

Just got a ticket for my friend's wedding (OW OW!), and I am considering a multi-city trip at the end of the summer. For anyone planning a trip in the next few months, check out AirTran's sale, which ends on May 20, 2010. They are offering some great deals.

Photo credit.

Dear Sir/Madam:

Anyone who works in customer service knows that it's not ideal to share your candid thoughts with customers. Regardless of the situation, one in such a position must maintain not only a professional but also a (seemingly) pleasant disposition. However, stifling one's true sentiments can lead to loads of pent up frustration which can in turn lead to anger and a possible snap. Reading books like Waiter Rant can give you further insight into the highly stressful life of one job within this category: the waiter(waitress).

As one who understands the importance of a release (thanks to my Psych degree) I've decided to write my own "Dear Sir/Madam" letter to save my own sanity through an outlet.

Be forewarned that my language may be harsh because people have a way of pushing one to new levels of frustration, and I will not apologize for my commentary because I am forced to censor myself all too often. So this is my uninhibited sharing space.

Dear Sir Writes A Lot,
I received your letter about your unsatisfactory experience, and I would like to extend my apologies. I am sorry that I wasted my time asking you if everything was okay to only have you say yes despite your dissatisfaction. Perhaps you were afraid that I would somehow retaliate or sabotage any recooks that you may have requested. Please be assured that is not my style. I simply aim to please, and if I had been notified of the problem during your visit I would have gone above and beyond to make sure to rectify it to ensure a satisfactory dining experience. However, you chose to lie to me and then go behind my back and send a letter to the company, and now I'm upset. I just don't understand why you told me everything was okay the few times I checked on you if it was not. For future reference if I ask you if everything is okay, I'm not just hitting the points on my server checklist, I really want to make sure that everything is okay. So if you have something to say, say it to my face.
Thanks.

This feels "Just Wright"

As I mentioned in my last post, my journey has continued to get better. I was offered an amazing opportunity to not only view an advanced screening of Just Wright but also participate in a press interview session with Queen Latifah, Common, James Pickens and Sanaa Hamri (the director of the movie). Can we say A-MA-ZING! Meeting Queen Latifah has been on my life to do list, and it was just so surreal how it all happened. I have loved her work since her days as Khadijah on Living Single (for obvious reasons: I wanted to be just like Khadijah). I thoroughly enjoyed Last Holiday, I wanted to be her friend in Brown Sugar, and after seeing some of her recent interviews (particularly one she did on The Monique Show) I developed a whole new respect for her. Her mission is positive and she does through such empowering work, and I appreciate that. What I enjoyed most about this experience is that she was just as cool as I hoped she'd be. She entered the room glowing like a true queen, and she just sat down and spoke to us like long lost friends. Having yet another reason to be a fan of hers, I'm excited to check out her new book Put on Your Crown (which I will more than likely share a review on).

I cannot fail to mention how exciting it was to be in the same room as Common. He was sooo cool too. As great a rapper as many consider him, it was so cool to hear him talk about his newfound hunger for acting and his genuine desire to hone his craft.

Check out my first set of paparazzi shots.
Also, check out the review of Just Wright I wrote for Guts. Glam. Grace. Magazine.

Loving this journey

Sometimes I stop and think "I am loving this journey."

The past few days of my life have unexpectedly interesting, and I have found comfort in accepting it all as part of my journey. Last week I was involved in a four car accident, and although the physical damage to the cars was ugly, thankfully no one was hurt. In a situation that some may have seen as tragic and may have led to discouragement, I felt even more motivated than before. I saw this accident as a distraction, as an attempt to throw me off of my game and cause me to lose focus. In the recent weeks, I've really been feeling like I am taking steps in the right direction on this journey, and instead of allowing this accident to be a road block I see it as a speed bump on this road of my journey. Now I will admit that dealing with the details of the accident has been difficult, and I've felt a bit frustrated and overwhelmed at times since, but I am so thankful that I have not been deterred from my goals or my vision for what I believe is the direction for my journey.

What's interesting is that the days immediately following the accident were milestone moments, which I'll share later (but did include meeting Queen Latifah, a woman I've respected and admired from her days as Khadijah on Living Single). It was in those moments when I embraced the accident as one of those things that had to happen to propel me even further. I am still uncertain of how everything will unfold, and I'll admit that there are times when I'm a little nervous about not having control over everything, but at the same time I am so excited to see how this journey will continue to unfold. When I graduated from college in 2007 I had no clue how the next few years of my life would go. I'm not even sure what my plan was, but the last 3 years (OMG!) have been amazing: from the life altering revelations inspired by my trip to Trinidad that lead to what has now blossomed into Her Journey, which has lead to some amazing opportunities, which include this past weekend's monumental moments in my life, which I know will only get better.

I remember when reading Amy DuBois Barnett's book Get Yours! How to Have Everything You Dreamed of in Life and More, she wrote about her mother's death and mentioned something embracing the full depth of emotions along the entire spectrum, and I couldn't completely understand that, but I now get it. We all know that life includes highs and lows, and the good comes with the bad. It does not always seem ideal, and it is not always evident in the present moment, but embracing all of it as part of the entire journey is when you see the beauty in how it all works together.

Loving the journey...

"Life is not a race, but a journey to be savored each step of the way."~Author Unknown

Photo taken by yours truly