Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Burger Joints

i enjoy a good cheeseburger. my mom always likes to tell the story of on a trip we took to new york when i was 8 or 9, i ordered a bacon cheeseburger for almost every meal. i think back then, that was the only thing i knew i would like - my palette has matured a bit more since then, however, cheeseburgers are still one of my favs...

lately omaha has seemed to explode with different burger places. i have been to most of them and decided to review some of the places i have been.

fuddruckers - i think my ultimate favorite burger place. their burgers are juicy, the buns are toasted, you can get bacon on them, and then you pick out your toppings. they also have ranch and warm cheese sauce - bonus! their fries are just okay - i like that they are seasoned, but i am not a huge fan of wedge potatoes. and their prices are very reasonable.

burger star - i ate there tonight! my friend eric and i tend to go their quite a bit - it's a good middle point between our two homes. and their burgers are really good. i think they are a bit more messy and greasy. BUT there are two things i enjoy about this place - their bacon and the variety of toppings. their fries are not the greatest, but i do think they are getting better than when we first started going there. they also have other sides, but i have never tried them.

smash burger - i enjoy the quality of the burger and the fact that they have guacamole as a topping and fried pickles, haystack onions, and veggie frites. their smash sauce and smash sides are definitely the best in town, but the price is a bit more expensive than other places.

five guys - i have only eaten here once and feel like i need to go back to give them a fair shot. i didn't really enjoy this place. i started off wrong by ordering a regular bacon cheeseburger, which has two burger patties. i am not a huge fan of a ton of meat - i enjoy a little meat and lots of fun toppings. they do offer a 'little' burger, which must be a one patty burger. when i got my burger, it was super greasy and i some how ran out of bun and still had burger and toppings left, so it was extra messy. also, their fries are no good. just bad. i do like that they have different toppings to put on your burger. but if i go back, i may seriously think about ordering a bacon cheese hotdog instead of a burger.

red robin - this used to be my favorite place - guacamole burger, fries, red robin salt, and ranch... yum, yum! but i think i just overdid it there, so i haven't really wanted to go there. it is a bit more expensive and you can't make your own burger, but they have a burger for everyone's taste.

well those are some of the burger joints i have been to. what about you? what place do you like or recommend? what don't you like?

Sunday, November 28, 2010

Burlesque


I decided to try to start writing reviews of the movies I see... it's my blog, so why not?

Last night, my very sweet boyfriend offered to take me to see Burlesque - he had no desire to see it but knew I wanted to - what a guy!

Burlesque was pretty stereotypical - poor, young lady trying to get of her small town and make it big. I wasn't a fan of the opening part - pretty cheesy (and for those of you who know me, I enjoy a little cheese in my movies, but this was over the top, even for me). The young girl finds a burlesque shop on one of her first days, enters in, falls in love with the dancing and music, and wants to work there. Cher (owner of the club) won't really listen to her or give her a job, so Christina decides to wait the tables on her own. The bar tender digs her, so he lets her continue and she starts working there. Eventually Xtina is allowed to start dancing in the shows, only because Julianne Hough gets knocked up. Mean Kristen Bell doesn't like that everyone loves Xtina so much and tries to sabotage her show, but only makes her more in demand as she starts singing all the songs instead of lip syncing... The club is in financial hardship, but Cher doesn't want to sell to McSteamy... McSteamy digs Xtina, they hang out every once and a while, much to the dismay of the bar tender/roommate/Twilight guy. However, the bar tender/roommate/Twilight is engaged, but likes Xtina. He and his fiancé break up over the phone (she's in New York). So he and Xtina get it on that night and continue to. Fiancé shows up, says all these mean things about Xtina, she leaves, goes to Stanley Tudcci's (i have no idea how to spell his last name), some dude answers, he lets her in, she then gets a call from McSteamy, to whom she goes to. Twilight dude comes looking for her, she's gone, but Stanley Tucci realizes he's going to stop having one night stands and asks that dude to lunch. Xtina goes to McSteamy's and realizes he is going to build a 20 story building with windows where the Burlesque building is because it's the "best view on the Sunset Strip". Xtina figures out how to save the club, she makes up with vampire dude... all is good at Burlesque.

The movie was fun, but it was no Chicago or Rent (:-) by any means. My favorite parts were that Alan Cumming was in it and they had super sparkly, glittery, pearly, feathery costumes. Xtina's hair and weird chicken legs along with Cher's non-moving face were the worst parts. At one point, Cher was supposed to be crying and really upset, and you could hardly tell because her face didn't move!

I give the movie a C+. Plus only because of Alan Cumming and the glitter. :-)

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Thankful

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays because everyone gets together to enjoy the company and eat good food. It's a day where we think about the good things in our lives. In honor of this holiday, I am going to share some of the things I am thankful for (these are in no particular order, just as they came to my head)...

1. A loving and supportive family. With my job, I get to work with and observe several different family systems and I have come to learn how truly blessed I am to have these loved ones in my life.
2. A wonderful, understanding boyfriend. He just gets me and I am so appreciative of that. I love him wholeheartedly.
3. My job. Not many people can say they love what they do, but I am one of those people!
4. My health. After the year I have had, you might not think I would be, but I have learned it could be so much worse and I am so thankful for healing.
5. Friends. I love that my friends and I don't do the "typical" things, but we are eccentric and eclectic and have SO MUCH FUN together! I can't stop laughing when I am with them.
6. Glitter and sequins - they always make me smile and feel better
7. Cookiefest - making cookies, drinking wine, and hanging out with my favorite people - nuff said!
8. The Olympics - although it's a competition, the idea of all these countries coming together for the sake of sportsmanship and get along (for the most part). Also, everyone's journey to making it to the olympics is so inspiring and interesting.

There is sooo much more, but this is just what I can come up with off the top of my head. Have a Happy Thanksgiving!!!


Sunday, November 21, 2010

Christmas






oh snap - two posts in one day!!! how lucky can one be?!?

so i did it... my christmas decorations are up! except one of my garland swags is not lighting up. it does this every year, i go out to buy a new one and then it lights up... i think it knows when i am planning to get a new one! i kept the one i bought last year, so if it doesn't light up by thanksgiving, then i will change it out. i also put up some chinese lanterns with purple christmas lights in them, but half of the stand doesn't want to light up either. so as with the garland, if it keeps not working, i will swap it out...

it doesn't really feel like it should be holiday season yet. i don't know why, but i am just not ready for it to be that time of the year.

i am getting excited for cookie making party, though! a few years ago, my friend Kacie invited myself, Eric, and Casey over to make some cookies and drink some wine. the first year casey had to leave early - to go dear hunting??? or something like that... well, we made the cookies and drank the wine and had a grand ole time. i think stuffed crust pizza and the movie elf were also involved for the inaugural event. ;-) This was when the legend was born! Now, every year we get together - kacie has the ingredients and we bring the wine. ryan has joined our group and i think we invited matt after he married kacie (he wasn't invited prior to then, even though we were doing this at his home in his kitchen...). inappropriateness is not only allowed, it's expected and encouraged. there's usually something penis and boob related and ginger people doing explicit things to one another. we do not discriminate either, some of the ginger people lose a limb or get decapitated, but we still decorate them - only when they fall on the floor is when we bury them. by the end of the decorating, the lithuanian booze comes out and sometimes chairs get broken or eric passes out - all in the name of cookie making party! expect anything! can't wait for it again this year!

Holidays

due to limited funds, i have decided to make most of my gifts this year. since i am pretty sure i only have one reader, i don't mind sharing what i am thinking about making...

i started out thinking that i could make bracelets for everyone, but that is a bit boring, and i don't think of myself as boring. so i did some research and found some fun angels i can make out of dishcloths. BUT then i started watching YouTube videos on how to make resin jewelry - which looks like it could be hard, but want to look more into it - i see this type of jewelry for sale all over etsy.com and at the afternoon. my only worry is that they recommend doing it outside due to the fumes, but hey, i have big windows! but i guess we will see if i can find all the items needed to make these creations and then see if they fit into my budget.

it's also very hard to find dignified homemade gifts for guys. they all look like things 5 year olds make. so i am not sure what to do for the guys in my life... if my faithful reader has any ideas, i would appreciate it!

Thursday, November 18, 2010

discipline

kinda a heavy topic tonight. just finished another financial peace class. i think the biggest thing i am learning is that i struggle with discipline. not in all aspects of my life - i got to work, pay my bills (usually on time :-), attend church, meet deadlines, etc... however, i STRUGGLE with saving/not spending money, following a diet, exercising, staying organized... i also noticed i start a lot of projects, but hardly ever finish them - paintings, craft projects, learning to play the guitar, reading books... i know i need to maintain discipline more in my personal/private life, but i get overwhelmed and don't know where to start, so i don't do any of them. OR i will start one thing, then decide i want to add another area i want to focus on, so then the first thing falls to the way side. i really need to find a way to make myself more accountable. i have found that if i have someone who tries to help me be accountable, i tend to get pissed off if they call me out on my short comings or i will just lie and not admit i failed.

well, i guess admitting it is my first step... stay tuned to see if anything more becomes of this...

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Too Early???


Is it too early to put up my Christmas decorations? I have more time to do it on this Saturday since I am on call for work on the Saturday after Thanksgiving... I might just do it...

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

BOO BOO BOO!!!

SHOCKED! ALL I CAN SAY RIGHT NOW! BOO AMERICA!!!

DWTS


i'm going to try to blog more. i do like to do it, i just forget... tonight's topic - dancing with the stars. will bristol go home??? she did well last night but so did everyone else. i wouldn't be sad to see jennifer gone though. i don't know why she bugs me so much, but dang, yes she does. i like brandi, however i think she looks hunch backed at times. kyle is my fave! he's just fun! and he's with my favorite pro - lacey!

i think with an outfit like the one above, i am destined to be on dwts! oh wait, just one prob, i'm not a star... hmm - gonna work on that...

Making Hummus

cookiefest 2009 edited

holidays


i can't believe the holidays are almost here! crazy! so excited!