Things I Know About Richmond, Va.

In no particular order, rhyme or reason, I give you a list of things I've noticed while living here. I'm sure I'll update it often.

- It’s pronounced Po-white.

- Powhite Parkway has to be the most expensive parkway in Virginia to drive on.

- The winter seems to last forever.

- Spring is an interesting mix of warm, sunshine days and cold, grey days.

- Do not put your sweaters and scarfs away when the first warm day comes around. It’s just a false alarm. There will be more coldness.

- Even when it's officially Summer, it's not very hot.

- People will give you directions based on what used to be there, not what currently is (an example “Go up til you get to where Thalimer’s used to be and then you want to turn left where that pub used to be…”) Not helpful if you’re new to the area.

- When Maymont is packed and you can’t find parking, go to Hollywood Cemetery or the Capital Lawn.

- PBR is the beer of choice. Of course everyone under the age of 30 calls it PBR. Everyone over the age of 30 calls it Pabst Blue Ribbon. Either way, Sticky Rice only charges a dollar for a PBR on rainy days.

- When the weather forecast calls for snow or bad weather of any kind, there will not be a loaf of bread or gallon of milk left in the grocery stores an hour after the announcement.

- If you go out to eat, you do not eat at a chain restaurant. They are evil. Eat local.

- Rt. 1 is Brook Rd.

- If you go past 288, you’ve gone too far, turn around.

- I-64 splits to the left, I-95 to the right. This is a key piece of information depending on which side of Parham or Staples Mill you need to be on.

- The West End has two parts: 1) the West End, and 2) the Far West End. The Far West End is really just Short Pump. Just past Short Pump is Innsbrook. Innsbrook is also referred to as the Far, Far West End. The distance between where The West End starts and the Far, Far West End ends is vast.

- Don’t ever, ever, ever try to go to Short Pump during peak hours if it is not absolutely necessary. Or on the weekends. It’s just not worth the stress. Or possible insurance claim.

- Don’t eat the seafood; the ocean is an hour away, at best. The fact that the James River runs through Richmond does not make this a seafood town.

- Richmond will turn you into a foodie. It will spoil you and make you think that all cities should have such a wide variety of independent restaurants.

- This town isn’t as Southern as it thinks it is.

- If you didn’t have allergies before moving here, you will.

Buck is 60

I'm a little late in getting these things posted so bear with me. My dad turned 60... back in November. I know, I know, but at least I'm getting this up before his next birthday.

Anyhow, we (mom and I) had a small party to celebrate. Below are photos from the event.

You can't go wrong with cupcakes from Ukrop's. The cakes say "Oh no! The Big 6-0!"

From Party for Dad's 60th Birthday

Aw, someone even wrote a birthday message on the dry-erase board. (Ok so I was the person that wrote it, but still "aw.")

From Party for Dad's 60th Birthday

Balloons, cupcakes, ice cream... is he turning 6 or 60?

From Party for Dad's 60th Birthday

Look closely at what he's doing. Pretty MacGyver of him.

From Party for Dad's 60th Birthday

The Birthday Boy, himself.

From Party for Dad's 60th Birthday

The Birthday Boy's mother (and uncle).

From Party for Dad's 60th Birthday

The Birthday Boy's sister and daughter.

From Party for Dad's 60th Birthday

It was a good party. Good times with family. Oh and the food. The food was sooo good. Mom got chicken from Pollard's, I made the best macaroni and cheese ever and five pans of Sister Schubert's yeast rolls (there were no leftovers) and the cupcakes came from Ukrop's. Food doesn't get much better than that.

History in the Making

As we all know, Obama* is now President of these here States (and the Commonwealths, too). I decided to head on up to D.C. for his inauguration. Michelle tagged along (and drove). It was cold, cold and we left before the sun even thought about rising but it was worth it. The day was amazing and inspiring and fully stocked with port-a-potties.

That's right, that clock says 5:05 a.m. 5:05 a.m., people!! Which means I got up somewhere in the 4 o'clock hour. My hair and make-up are done, I'm dressed in my thermals and my pearls are on; I am ready to go.

From Inauguration 2009

The crowd of people we had to wade through to get to the Metro actually wasn't as bad as I thought it would be -

From Inauguration 2009

Michelle and I on the Obama Train -

From Inauguration 2009

Hoo-ray for my camera's zoom feature -

From Inauguration 2009

The wall of port-a-potties -



A sea of people -

From Inauguration 2009

That's Bush's ride, coming to pick him up and take him out of D.C.

From Inauguration 2009

Back at the Metro in Springfield. My boots were covered in dirt from the Mall.

From Inauguration 2009

Michelle and I stopped at the Olive Garden at Potomac Mills to grab something to eat. It felt good to just sit and relax. And to eat and drink something.

It was a long day. And I'd do every second of it over again in a heartbeat.

*Sometimes I forget that Obama is his last name. Seriously, sometimes I can't even remember what his first name is. Like now for instance. Drawing a total blank...

Spiced Cakes Aren't Just for Holiday Parties Anymore

I have a great group of friends here in RVA. We call ourselves Spiced Cakes. As you can see, we always have a good time when we get together.

This is us at Godfrey's one cold Sunday in January



(me, Michelle, Catherine and Sandy)

This is us at Kabuto's back in February.



(me, Michelle, Elizabeth, Sandy and Catherine)

Pictures!

Pictures from the Run to the River 2008 Michelle and I partcipated in can be found here and here and here. (I'm even in a few of the them. Look for the Red Sox hat.)

Michelle and I finished around the 1 hour mark. We talked about doing some other 5ks but then I got side-lined by some medical problems. More to come on that later...

Cook, you fool!

Back during the freezing cold winter months, Caitlin and I had our 2nd annual soup/chili making day. Caitlin's friend Beth came up with this recipe so we dubbed it "Caitlin & Nicole's Ode to Beth." It's super easy to make, freezes well, reheats well and it just down right good.

Caitlin & Nicole's Ode to Beth

The Ingredients

1 jar of alfredo sauce
1 carton of chicken broth
1 bag of frozen leaf spinach
1 bag of frozen cheese tortellini
1 rotisserie style chicken

The Instructions

Mix alfredo sauce and chicken broth in a large soup pot. Use a whisk to help with the mixing. Heat slowly. Remember that you are heating a cream sauce and you don’t want to burn it. Heat to a slow bubble. Add tortellini to the soup. Stir. Cook for a couple minutes and then add spinach and chicken. Stir and put a lid on it. Let it all hang out and heat up for a few minutes. Serve and enjoy.

Notes

The ratio of alfredo to chicken broth is 1:1.

If you have it, feel free to use fresh spinach. Just be sure to wilt it before adding it to the soup.

The rotisserie chicken could always be replaced by healthier, baked chicken. The rotisserie chicken is just easier to find and brings a lot of flavor to the mix.

This dish is delish with beer bread.

Walk, Don't Run

My friend Michelle asked me if I would be interested in walking a 5k with her. Turns out I was interested. Due to some scheduling conflicts, we finally decided on a 5k that is scheduled for Oct. 18th. So yours truly will be walking the 5k part of Fulton Hill's Run to the River 10k/5k Walk.

I'm kind of freaking out about the hill part. I have found that when Richmond puts hill in the name, they're not playing around. I'm from flat, coastal land so I am not used to the verticalness that is all around me.

Let the training begin... starting right after Labor Day.

oy vey iz mir

So here's the thing about moving to a new city - it takes a lot of freaking energy and time. But here I am, in my new city, with a lot of boxes to unpack and no idea where anything that I need is located. Everything is calming down and going back to a normal pace. I haven't finished unpacking but it seems to be coming along rather well. I am so over looking at boxes and wondering "Gee, I wonder if what I need is in that box or that box. Ah well, I'll just run out and buy a new [insert needed item here]."

Here are some pictures of the unpacking job that awaits me and my new city.

Seek and Try to Find Area





A view of my new city from the Belle Isle foot bridge





A view from the top of my apartment building

Move towards the light, Lil Bastard

As I'm sitting here surfing the internet, wishing there was ice cream in my freezer, I can hear Lil Bastard chowing down on the Decon I put under the loveseat. So this confirms two things: 1) Lil Fucker is dead (I say this because LF didn't come around until 2 a.m. whereas LB is obviously an early riser); and 2) LB will soon depart this realm.

Meanwhile ...

please enjoy this picture of the beach. It's calm and serene, unlike me at the moment as I sit here trying to pretend there isn't a mouse six feet from where I sit. Ahhh!!

R.I.P. Lil Fucker, Die Lil Bastard

I'm 99.98% sure that Lil Fucker is dead. He ate a lot of the Decon and I haven't seen any evidence of him in the past few days.

However, this morning I saw new droppings, in new places. I do believe I have a new freeloader. I shall call this one Lil Bastard (yes, like the song).

Whereas Lil Fucker was more a couch and desktop kind of mouse, Lil Bastard really likes the bathroom and the area behind the trash can.

Lovely.