Back to it!

New Year's Day spontaneous dinner (for 2nd year in a row)

I'm kicking myself for not writing more in 2011. A few family members & friends in PA asked me why I haven't written as much. People actually check this? I do it mostly for family to keep track of my happenings rather than long phone calls. You know what... I decided to post more things here than on Facebook. I feel like things you "post" get lost in Facebook-world. You can't search your previous post or images on there. It is also why I post more of my photos on Flickr where I can add keywords and names to be easily searched for later. So in this new year, you will see a mix of life updates and interesting things I want to share.


My New Year's Eve was great. Carinna reserved a room at The Capitol Club, a bar/restaurant near our apartments. It was a fun night and somehow, after all that champagne I drank, I wasn't hungover. Below are photos taken by my friend Richard. Photos don't include the after-party in friends' apartment filled over capacity, where some of us danced in a very small room, there were 3 christmas trees, lots of frozen pizza cooked up and a cat hiding from the craziness. 

New Year's day was a laid-back day full of good times. Started the day at Unicorn for a $10 brunch. We hung out and played Wizard. (Its not as geeky as it sounds, its a card game like rummy)

After spending a few hours at Unicorn, I went home to rest and read before re-assembling with a few brunchers to see a movie. We went to see The Artist. If you are a fan of the early Hollywood days and classics, this is a cool modern take on the old silent film. We all grabbed a late dinner at a nearby Thai place. I realized this is the 2nd new year's day in a row that I was in the mood for Phở. My sinuses kicked in when I got back to town and on Dec. 30 started to feel symptoms. By New Year's day I had a sinus infection so Phở style chicken noodle soup was PERFECT! 

Since it was the last holiday break night, we went to the Stumbling Monk. Josh taught us a game called Euchre.  Tis' the season to sit in a cozy pub and play cards with friends and people watch. 


My last day off was spent catering to this sinus infection with a hot shower, meds, nedi-pot and a trip to store for more tissues. I spent the afternoon reading and catching up on e-mails at the coffee shop. The coffee shop has become my favorite place to be when I have down time. Great people watching and I seem to be more focused on what I'm doing than at home.