job | Honey, I Shrunk the Gretchen!

Posted on Nov 13, 2012 in Dear Diary | 26 comments

Exciting Announcements

Hi there, amigos! I hope you all have had a great weekend/week so far. I had yesterday off from work in honor of our brave veterans, and today I have a couple of exciting pieces of news for you all!

So first off, I have some relatively exciting (day)job related stuff. Part of the reason I’ve been so busy, and not blogging as regularly/in as timely a manner lately (er, beyond the whole “I’m publishing a book thing“, hehe) is that I’m actually transitioning into a new position at work! I’m not 100% in my new job yet, I’m in kind of a dual-job limbo right now, but that means there’s a lot of running back and forth (my new position is in a different building a couple blocks away from my old one) and a lot of training and whatnot. Still, a lot of changes and things to keep me busy, which is kind of a good thing!

My second piece of news may actually be a little upsetting to some of you. See, for years now, I have been a devoted Apple fangirl. Early adopter of each new iPhone model I’ve been eligible for, I’ve also been in love with the Macbook I got my senior year of college (even after I accidentally cracked the glass display with the heel of my foot… oops), Apple has never let me down. And yet, this weekend, something happened…

Whoops?

Yep, I am now the proud owner of an Acer Aspire S7 Ultrabook. 13.3″ screen, white and aluminum, and like, 3 pounds. Sa-weet.

Complete with Windows 8, I tested this puppy out for the first time a week or so prior, and was immediately smitten. I thought I’d had my heart really set on getting a Macbook Air, as my old Macbook has been increasingly slow (and, you know, cracked…) but was going to wait a while before doing so. As it turns out, however, my old laptop had other intentions. Recently, the wifi stopped working on my laptop, so I knew it was time to start the replacement process.

Sean and I stopped in the Microsoft Store at Tysons a week or so ago, to check out their new Surface tablets. While we were there, I started looking at the new laptops, all fitted with Windows 8, and was seriously blown away. The new system is really intuitive, looks GREAT, and was just a lot of fun. Plus, the aesthetics of some of their new machines (especially my new Acer), really give Apple a run for its money. I know that for some of you, looks are the least important part of a computer, but c’mon, nobody’s immune to a really sleek-looking comp. We left the store that day and the cogs were already turning, trying to weigh what I already knew about Macbooks (sleek, fast, great design, reliable) with what I liked about the new PC Ultrabooks.

We went back to the store this past weekend to check them out some more, and after spending over an hour in the store (and watching a Windows 8 demo, etc), I knew what I wanted. Oh, and I haven’t even mentioned the best part!

Yep, my new ultrabook has a TOUCHSCREEN. A super responsive and awesome one, too. They say that Windows 8 really was made for touchscreen, and I believe it. I love getting to scroll through things with a swipe of my hand, and it really feels seamless. That said, if you are considering getting Windows 8 installed on your non-touch computer, I’ve heard that it’s a fairly disappointing experience because all those buttons just scream “TOUCH ME!” (Um, in a non-sexual way, obvi.)

I painted this WITH MY HANDS. Well, and with a ridicuslouly overpriced touchscreen paintbrush that I couldn’t NOT get. I mean, c’mon. I know I’m no fine artist, but dang it if touchscreen doesn’t make it fun to try.

So, there you have it. A couple of exciting snippets for you. Oh, I had a third one, too. Slightly less exciting to normal people, but to people like me who are obsessed with food, this one is a good’n. I’ve officially started testing out new Thanksgiving recipes, which means it is GOOD EATIN’ TIME in my casa.

Last night’s dinner extraordinatire involved a new recipe for mashed potatoes that I’m trying out (I determined that my Roasted Garlic Whipped Potatoes recipe is still the reigning champ though).

I paired the ‘taters with a side of maple and bacon brussels sprouts (amazeballs as always!).

And a pork chop with a cinnamon apple and onion chutney (or something). Which was effing delicious.

NOMs all around!

Are you a Mac or a PC? I like to think at this point, I’m a bit of both! I’ve got my PC desktop, my old Macbook, my new ultrabook, and my iPhone 5. Not to mention my brother has his PC dekstop, plus an 11-inch Macbook Air, plus an iPad (and an iPhone 5 as well). Our house is not only biracial, but bicomputersal as well.

…

Okay, that was lame. I’m done.

Posted on Mar 21, 2012 in Dear Diary | 26 comments

I Heart DC

I’m a Northern Virginia gal, not-born, but bred (I was actually born in Hong Kong, if you were curious). My father, a career-long employee of the State Dept., had our family moving from country to country every three to four years while I was growing up. Of course, as a snot-nosed adolescent, having to pack up and leave my friends behind so often did not sit well with me. As an almost-sorta-adult with 20/20 hindsight, however, I am now exceedingly grateful for the opportunities I was able to have thanks to living abroad. That said, I knew pretty early on that I would not want a life that included such frequent upheaval once I was out on my own.

We only lived in Falls Church for four years, when I was in grades 5 – 8. Hardly long enough to say that I’m “from” here. But those formative years were enough that when my brother settled back in this area after he graduated from college, I know that I would be following suit. While most of my former classmates and colleagues who grew up in one house, one city, or even one state tout their intentions to get out of here, I don’t feel that same desire. I’m laying down my roots here, at least for the meantime, and I like it.

When I got my new job that would be starting in the city, rather than the safe suburban confines of the Beltway, I was admittedly a little apprehensive. For all my declarations of loving Falls Church and Northern Virginia, I rarely ventured inside DC city limits. Despite all of my world travels, for which I considered myself quite culturally adept and urban, I was actually a little bit scared of the city. Pretty silly, huh? As it turns out, I kinda love working in DC. My office is barely a stone’s throw from the National Mall, my commute isn’t as hellish as I thought (well, this morning was pretty terrible, but it’s not the norm), and it makes me feel… grown up.

As I said earlier this week, since it’s been so unseasonably warm, the cherry blossoms are peaking incredibly early this year. They probably won’t make it to the Cherry Blossom Festival or race, in fact. So yesterday I took the opportunity to stroll around during lunch to try to soak in some of these springtime beauties before they all blew away! I didn’t make it down to the Tidal Basin, of course, but I did get the chance to see the trees they still have on the Mall, as well as some other familiar sights.

This was taken after I offered to take a photo for a family who was on the mall, and they offered to take a photo of my in return. Apparently posing with the sakura brings out my super Asian side, haha!

If this rain (blehhh) doesn’t blow them away, I think they will be getting a little fuller and more pink over the next couple of days. If you haven’t gone out to see them yet, you should! They’re really beautiful, and they just make it feel like Spring.

What’s your favorite thing about Spring? Mine is my birthday, OBVIOUSLY, followed closely by the flowering trees.

Exciting Announcements

I Heart DC

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