Today is Adam's birthday.

Here's a bad picture of Adam from his birthday last year:



This picture will never cease to make me feel all warm inside. Whenever I'm blue, I look at that picture, and I'm happy again. Thank you, Adam.

In case you're wondering, Adam is 30-Next-Birthday.

Forbidden Love

Last night I met up with Chris and Maura. I had never met Maura before, but we've been reading each others' blogs for about a year and I was excited to see her during her trip to Chicago. We had "martinis" (mine was gin, ginger ale, and lime juice in a martini glass - on special!) and talked about stories we already knew because we BLOG. But she did tell me this amazing story that blew my mind. And Megan's, as you shall now see, because I'm obsessed with screen caps and iChat:

Dear Blog:

On Monday's night's weekly trip to Big Chicks for dollar burgs, Adam, Jackie, Mindy (no blog) (UPDATE: OMG, SORRY, SHE DOES HAVE A BLOG), and I decided to start a group blog called "Dear Blog." Also, we took a lot of shots.

On Tuesday, I was very, very tired at work, and had forgotten about most of what happened during the previous night. (Except that some guy stopped at our table, patted me on the back, and said, "You're really cute!" And then he walked away. He hasn't even had the decency to write a Missed Connection about me since.) And then I got this email:



I laughed out loud really hard for a good ten seconds. And then I thought, "Wait a minute, why was this so funny?"

Unfortunately, the other three can't remember, either. But that doesn't mean we're not going to make it happen anyway.

I wonder why I look so nervous...

Alissa, Katy, Justin, Caroline, me, and Adam at Caroline's baptism reception.

An open letter to Au Bon Pain.

Megan is a vegetarian and her low intake of protein makes her extremely angry. She shared with me this email she sent to Au Bon Pain this morning about their paltry offerings of vegetarian soups. I think it's pretty funny and I don't have anything to talk about, so here it is.

To whom it may concern:

Why do the majority of your soups contain a meat base? I realize that for the season there are two soups, one vegetarian (the pumpkin) and one vegan (the carrot) available for non-meat eaters every day, but beyond those two options, you rarely offer alternatives for strict vegetarians. Many of your soups are vegetable in nature (kale or tomato rice), but have a beef or chicken base. Do you know many carnivores who would choose a kale soup? My guess is that a kale soup would attract the attention of a vegan or strict vegetarian who would be unable to eat the soup because of its meat base. There are many meat options on the soup menu on a regular basis, but only those two vegetarian options are consistent. And to be perfectly honest, your carrot soup tastes like a bowl of orange juice with carrot grated into it.

I realize that vegans or strict vegetarians probably comprise a very small demographic within your customer base, and I'm also aware that chicken and beef broth provide more flavor to soups than vegetable broth does. But by making slightly less tasty soups (or exploring other ingredient options that would expand the flavor of vegetarian soups) and marketing them as such, my guess is you could drive up the vegetarian demographic within your customer base and provide more options for your soup customers, who are undoubtedly usually seeking a more nutritious alternative to your not-particularly-nutritious sandwich options.

Thank you,
Megan

P.S. Macaroni and cheese doesn't count as soup.

Personally, I think she should have closed by saying their name is pretentious.

Morgz.

My friend Morgan, whom I've mentioned before, is all sorts of awesome. She's probably the most creative person I know, which is why I'm sharing with you her newest project:

People, she made a chandelier out of tree branches she collected. It's the best thing to come out of Rock Creek Park since Chandra Levey. (Too soon?)

Morgan is perhaps better known as the gal behind Panda Head, but she also writes style columns for Brightest Young Things, as well as the designer of muss.

Also, her Panda Head photos have been submitted to Street Clash, where they're up against a fashion blogger from Copenhagen. So go over there and vote for DC and show that our great nation's capitol actually has some style.


PS. Her boyfriend, Ben, is pretty talented, too.

Gettin' hitched.

I just received an email (a mass one - as if I'd be at the top of the correspondence list) from Adam saying that he proposed to Alissa on the banks of the Vltava (it's in Prague - I Googled!) and, "against her better judgment," she said yes. So, congrats, kids! You've got my blessing, even if I'm going to have to hear R. Kelly at the reception!