monday monday

I had a great birthday…thanks for all the birthday greetings! It was a pretty low-key affair, with work during the day (including some potentially stressful news, but more on that later), dinner (shrimp and scallops on field greens, followed by some sort of chocolate soup with a candle stuck in it), and drinks (many rounds of buttery nipple shots, courtesy of my friends).

I took Friday off and took Mom shopping. We hit Macy’s and I came home with a gorgeous winter white coat and some very, very cute shoes. I’ll have to post photos sometime. Seriously, I am so in love with my coat. I would sleep in it if I wasn’t worried about it getting mussed up.

So a while ago I promised updates on a few things. Here goes:

Michael Knight of Project Runway
My friend CB and I hit the Art Institute of Atlanta for a reception being held to announce their new program in fashion and retail management. The guest of honor was Michael Knight, my favorite designer from this season of Project Runway. It was so cool seeing him up close and personal, and you could tell from the crowd’s reaction that he definitely earned that fan favorite award. He successfully dodged questions including the inevitable “who won?” and spoke a good bit about where he came from, the Project Runway experience, and where he’s going. I was pleased that he plans to stay in Atlanta and hopes to help build a fashion industry here. Overall, it was a very fun evening. He is just such a likeable guy.

You can see the rest of the photos I took at the event here.

Taste of Atlanta
That weekend, LS and I headed to Taste of Atlanta at Atlantic Station. I was really impressed by the food! I think I had the best crabcake of my entire life at the Einstein’s tent. I had a lot of really great food, but I think my other favorites were the tiny shots of chocolate milkshake from Johnny Rockets and the free samples of Gold Peak Tea. The green tea flavor was incredible. LS and I made our way past that tea sampling table about five times for our little shots of tea.

Dating
Ah, dating. Yes, I have entered that dark and mysterious world better known as online dating again. I really do believe in online dating and think it’s a fabulous way to meet people. I guess I’m honestly still getting used to it though. Sometimes it seems so surreal…like some sort of alternate reality or something.

Maybe that’s just crazy talk. I have no idea. Most of the time I don’t even know what to say about my personal life, so I’m just going to shut up now.

Birthdays and aging
Yep, I am another year older. As I previously mentioned, I definitely feel another year wiser too. Sometimes I cannot believe that I am a “grown-up” now though. I still feel like such a kid in so many ways. At least this year, after getting my driver’s license renewed, I get to keep my picture for 10 years. Woo hoo, baby! Ten years. And I actually like my picture. I’ve already received a compliment from some random ID-checking person too. So let’s hope I still mostly resemble my ID in 10 years. Fingers crossed.

Have I mentioned I am considering getting preventive Botox treatments? I know it sounds insane, but I don’t want the lines on my forehead to get any worse. Hey, there are very few things that I give into when it comes to vanity. But Botox just might have to be one of them.

Jessica Simpson
Two Saturdays ago, I went to hear two of my friends DJ because GC was “retiring” from DJing. I first met GC many years ago…wow, I can’t even remember how long ago. His then-girlfriend was my step aerobics instructor, and I liked her music so much that I introduced myself and asked her about it. She told me that her boyfriend was a DJ and mixed her music. One night I saw her out and got to meet her boyfriend, GC. I met the opening DJ from that Saturday night, DW, through GC. I have a fondness in my heart for both of them that has lasted many years, even though I barely get to see them. I was actually their booking agent/manager for a while, and I guess I still have this maternal love thing going for them.

Anyway, the point of my story is not to wax poetic about my dear old friends, it’s to tell you about meeting Jessica Simpson! Okay, so she wasn’t really Jessica Simpson, but she looked just like her. So much so that all night, she had people coming up to her to have their photos taken with her. LS was freaking out about the resemblance, so I went over to Ms. Simpson and told her that my friend wanted to meet her. Once she confirmed that my friend wasn’t some slimy beefhead, she came over and chatted with us. She was so cute and friendly, and she said she gets the Jessica Simpson thing all the time. LS and I ended up hanging out with her, and her husband and friends, for part of the night. We exchanged contact info. I might have her cut my hair (she’s a hairdresser). It was a fun night, and we totally felt like we were hanging out with a celebrity because — even though we knew it wasn’t her — she seriously looked so much like Jessica Simpson that we really did feel like we were hanging with her.

Okay…I think I’m pretty caught up. I still need to share of my recent shopping finds (can you say “70% off”??) and post some pics, and write about how redneck Oktoberfest in Helen was (okay, I guess I just did), but I have a doctor’s appointment in the morning and I need to work on a few things before I hit the sack. (And yes, to my dear coworkers, it really is a doctor’s appointment!) Hopefully they can help me figure something out with that medication that’s been giving me trouble. The office called me this afternoon to tell me that my doctor was ill and had to cancel, so I’m going to see his nurse practitioner as his appointments book six months in advance. No kidding — six months! So here’s hoping for a successful appointment.

‘Night!