I had such a great day off today.
This was my last vacation day of the year from my full time job and my last chance to relax before I work five days in a row at my part-time job.
This was a payday Friday, so, first, I went shopping at Target and grocery shopping at Giant.
Next, I had a professional pedicure, which was such a nice experience. I read some more of Dearie: The Remarkable Life of Julia Child during the pampering. I like feeling like I’m taking good care of myself. My toenails are now painted OPI Red.
After that, I ate a picnic lunch of cheddar cheese, thinly sliced proscuitto, good bread and good olive oil in my apartment. …and a few bites of Giant’s excellent pasta salad, to make sure it was still delicious, of course. I had been given a Target coupon at checkout that morning for $10 off Crest White Strips, so I returned to redeem it. …and they were on sale. I also picked up a bottle of Bolla Chianti from the nearby liquor store. In addition to red wine, I also enjoy espresso, cappuccino, tea and coke fairly often. All of the above stain your teeth! So, I am looking forward to a more attractive whiter smile.
Then, I got out of town! Any remarkable day off needs alittle travel. I took the light rail to Baltimore, where I jumped on a free bus called the Charm City Circulator to get over to Little Italy (via the Orange Route). I walked a couple of blocks to get to Vaccaro’s Italian Pastry Shop in order to redeem my Groupon. I traded this voucher for $16 worth of two kinds of cookies and a slice of chocolate cake with hazelnut cream frosting. It was such a beautiful winter day that I walked back to the lightrail stop, taking in the city and, simply, the change in environment. I love a city. I browsed a couple of shops in one of the buildings that make up Harborplace. My favorite was Fire & Ice which among other things sells jewelry. The case full of rubies stopped me in my tracks. They range from dark pink to red. I tried on an absolutely stunning bracelet of dark pink ruby ovals all neat in a row. Priced at $265, I, unfortunately, walked away empty-handed.
Back in town, I drove over to Hallmark and purchased a birthday card for a friend whose birthday is in January. I thoroughly enjoyed a cup of hot chocolate from Starbucks. I also hit HomeGoods, my favorite store. I bought a black wire basket on a pedestal for my kitchen counter and a big laundry bag. The tote’s very chic with a brown and cream damask print and two short rope handles. It can sit up on the floor of my closet and is large enough for bed linens.
I called my friend E hoping to hit a happy hour or go out to dinner, but with such short notice, she already had plans. I still talked with her for a solid half an hour. We engaged in the kind of girl talk where you couldn’t get in a word in edgewise. It was so great to catch up. I last spoke with her during the summer. We promised that we would go out to dinner soon, (as soon as my work schedule and budget permit.)
After that, I proceeded to make myself a quick dinner, a burger with leftover Rice-A-Roni Fried Rice. (I’ll go back to eating plenty of vegetables tomorrow.) It’ll be quick and easy to have three leftover burgers in addition to my other sandwich and salad stuff for a week full of double shifts. I also wrote and scheduled my two upcoming Style Sunday posts. I started my post on my recent day trip to Philadelphia too. After taking a couple bites of that chocolate hazelnut cake which was… squisito, I toted my laundry in my new bag to my parents’ for about an hour of laundry.
After a fun yet busy day, I am trying to unwind now… laying on the sofa, netbook on my lap, with a cup of iced tea and two cookies on a real plate beside me, Christmas tree lit up in the corner. I’ve been trying not to think about my upcoming hectic work schedules and it all begins tomorrow. Maybe it’ll go reallyreally fast…