I <3 Weekends

Who doesn't, really? ;-) Here's why I'm psyched about this weekend in particular:

*I have been on a waiting list for a month for the second half of the first season of Mad Men, and it finally came in today! I rented the first half of the first season from my library to see what all the fuss was about, and I got completely hooked on this show! I love it! I'm dying to get caught up with the first season so I can start watching the second season on TV... they're only two or three episodes in, so hopefully I can catch the reruns and get all caught up! Anyway, I've been waiting and waiting, and it finally came in today! Woo-hoo! I ran out and got it right away on my lunch break. So you pretty much know how I'll be spending my evening tonight!

*My sister and I are spending most of the weekend together! I'm picking her up tomorrow and taking her back to my place, and then we're going to take the train into Philly and hang out there for the day, then we'll come back and watch a movie and she'll spend the night. She's sixteen and I don't get to see her that often, so we want to get in some extra bonding time before she has to start school again. We used to not be very close because we're so far apart in age- she was only seven when I left for college- but we've gotten a lot closer throughout the years, because we've gone through a lot of stuff together with our family (let's just say that we did not grow up with Mike and Carol Brady, and just leave it at that for now... one day I'll get more into it, I promise!) and it's brought us a lot closer. There are things in this world that I've been through that literally no one could ever understand but her, and that gives me a deep love and appreciation for her. So I really enjoy spending time with her! She is such a sweet person- laid-back, very honest and real, and she loves to read as much as I do- we hit used book sales together all the time! She's also an amazingly talented artist. She has been since she was a little girl. She's been taking art classes since she was little, and she is just truly gifted. That's just one more reason that the world's a better place because she's in it, LOL. That was sappy. She will read that and make fun of me for eternity. Whatevs. She also wants to be a tattoo artist when she gets older, which I think is great- they'll always be in demand, she'll probably make good money (and then she can support me), and even better, it means I get free tats! I have one now and I want more, I have them all picked out and everything, it's just a question of money and geographic location on my body (I like having them in places where they're hidden, yet I can see them, because if I'm going to drop a lot of money on permanent ink on my body, I want to be able to see it whenever I want! The one I have now is on the lower left side of my back, so when I twist and look over my left shoulder, I can see it fine. I'll post a pic sometime. Anyway, she's so much fun, and I can't wait until she's eighteen! (Even better, twenty-one! Haha) We'll probably take pics and I'll post them on the blog this weekend.

*I am quite low on groceries, and will end up hitting all four of my stores this weekend- Giant, Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, and Wegmans (my fave!!!!). I'm actually not going to Whole Foods myself... I have a "personal shopper". One of my coworkers works there part-time, and he offers to pick things up for us and use his employee discount, and how can I refuse an offer like that? So I gave him a list! It's short but sweet: Matthew's All-Natural Whole Wheat English Muffins (for my latest veggie-burgers-on-English-muffins obsession courtesy of all my food-blogging buddies out there!), Chocolate, Chocolate Cherry, and Chocolate Mint Jocolat Bars, and Banana Bread, Apple Pie, and Peanut Butter Cookie Larabars. I have seen this Peanut Butter Cookie Larabar pop up on everyone's blog lately, and I've read how it's the best bar they've ever had, and anything that is guaranteed to taste just like a soft fresh-baked peanut butter cookie and is healthy for you needs to be tried. I tried the Cherry Pie Larabar and wasn't too impressed, but I have high hopes for the others. I already stopped by Giant on my way home from the gym- I only go there to pick up a few items that Wegmans either doesn't carry or charges more for- and found some exciting new items to try: Strawberry and Peach Chobani Greek Yogurts, Health Valley No-Salt-Added Spicy Vegetarian Chili (I love their no-salt-added soups... I tried the no-salt-added Minestrone last weekend and it was delish! My favorite is still the Lentil, but they were out of it, boo-hiss), and Chocolate Vitatops (I almost didn't buy them, but they were on sale and will be perfect for nights where I must have chocolate for dessert). And some other stuff, but those are the exciting finds. I also get to go to Produce Junction for fresh fruit, and a quick trip to Target or Wal-Mart. Oh, yes... life is good! :-) (P.S.- can you tell that I got paid this week? Haha!)

*Last but not least... I get to pick a new book tonight! I actually finished Beautiful Bodies today at the gym! It was such a fast read, it really did read like a play. It just flowed. Anyway, it was pretty good! A nice story about the complexity of female friendships, especially with those friends you've had forever. I wish they had gone more into their history, and I think the ending wrapped up too nicely given all the drama that went on throughout the book- I feel that a lot of stories and questions went unresolved and unanswered (which is another reason it would make a fabulous play), but hey, it entertained me for a few days. There were a few great quotes in there about life and relationships that I wanted to pull out and share:

*"Sometimes you have to go broke to get paid: the sucking void primes the pump."

*"You know, with men or without men, we make our own lives."

*"I didn't even want to resent him anymore. I wanted to be more than some catalog of injustices, a record of hurts... of what he'd done, what I'd done."

*"Maybe some of us are still looking for whatever it is you look for... when you don't like what you are looking at."

They made me stop and think, how true, you know?

So two thumbs up for Beautiful Bodies. Not a must-have for my collection- I probably would have been fine borrowing this from the library- but for a bargain book from amazon, not too bad at all.

And now, the moment you've been waiting for. It's time to pick a new book. Drumroll please...

I started reading Mary Higgins Clark in middle school and have read her off and on throughout the years, and I've really liked almost every book of hers I've read. They're always fast reads, so I anticipate being done this sometime next week. I picked this up at a library paperback book sale last year for a quarter. Here's a synopsis off goodreads: When Margaret and Steve Frawley come home to Connecticut from a black-tie dinner in New York, their three-year-old twins, Kathy and Kelly, are gone. The police found the babysitter unconscious, and a ransom note from the "Pied Piper" demands eight million dollars. Steve's global investment firm puts up the money, but when they go to retrieve the twins, only Kelly is in the car. The dead driver's suicide note says he inadvertently killed Kathy.
At the memorial, Kelly tugs Margaret's arm and says: "Mommy, Kathy is very scared of that lady. She wants to come home right now." At first, only Margaret believes that the twins are communicating and that Kathy is still alive. But as Kelly's warnings become increasingly specific and alarming, FBI agents set out on a desperate search.

Should be a quick interesting read. I don't know how much I'll get to this weekend, but I'll probably start it at some point tonight. But for now, it's time to whip up a quick dinner (grilled chicken breast with all-natural barbecue sauce, sweet potato fries, and carrots... probably won't post a pic, you all know what that looks like!) and start Mad Men. I can't wait!!!

I hope everyone has a fabulous weekend!!!!

BTW... did anyone else catch Margaret Cho's new reality show last night on VH1- The Cho Show? My roommate and I watched it last night, and we thought it was hysterical! If you like Kathy Griffin and her reality show, you'll definitely like Margaret Cho's show too!