Sunday, May 31, 2009

The Weekend in Review

This weekend wasn't nearly as restful as Memorial Day weekend -- I had a lot of work to do over the past two days. But somehow, I managed to pull together a productive and pleasant weekend. A few highlights:

1. I was able to get a decent amount of work done this weekend, during designated blocks of "work time" on both days (had this not happened, I never would have enjoyed this weekend's non-work activities).

2. Trip to Whole Foods at 9am on Saturday: Early AM is definitely the best time to go to the Tribeca Whole Foods. The produce has not been rummaged through (yet), the shelves are still stocked with my favorite snacks, and the checkout lines won't start snaking through the aisles for another few hours.

3. Brooklyn Flea! The last time I made a trip to Brooklyn Flea, the market was just a few weeks old and I wasn't that impressed. Not so anymore! The Flea is all grown up now -- more vendors + quirky vintage merchandise = success. On Saturday, I snagged a vintage Polaroid camera (check it out here), and my brother (who was equally impressed with the Flea) picked up a vintage plaid travel bag and a decades-old, bright yellow Pennsylvania commercial license plate. Our grand total? $31!

4. Caramelita Bars. The Whole Foods version of these yummy treats inspired me to make my own at home, which I did while watching the Orlando Magic play their way to the NBA Finals on Saturday night (the highlight of my weekend). This recipe worked well for me, but beware: baking the bars at 350 degrees for 25 minutes after layering the chocolate, nuts and caramel is totally insufficient. Check them at 25 minutes, but be prepared to bake them for 45 min --until the top layer is slightly firm and no longer gooey.

5. The IKEA Water Taxi to Brooklyn. The weather on Sunday was *perfect* for a free ride from downtown Manhattan to Red Hook, Brooklyn on the IKEA Water Taxi. On the way to IKEA, we had a perfect view of the Queen Mary 2 (check her out here). On the way back to Manhattan, we had a perfect view of the Statute of Liberty. In between, I picked up 3 little plants ($1.50/each) for my windowsill -- fingers crossed that I don't kill the plants this time (check them out here -- they may never look this good again).

Just typing this post left me exhausted. Time for bed. Here's hoping for an equally productive week.

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