the one and only Marki

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[aquietcottagelife]

[jessica154blog]

Via*** desenio ****

[theoneandonlymarki]

Restaurant Journal: Bakersfield OTR

There isn't a better way to celebrate the start of a new semester than with margaritas and guacamole. A few days before school started, some friends and I met up at Bakersfield in OTR.

We did order main food, but the margaritas and guacamole were definitely the highlight. I don't know exactly how to describe either one, but they were magnificent. I had one fish taco and one short rib. They were both good, but the fish taco was the best. I thought it would be good, but I was surprised at how crisp and unfishy the taste was.

With love,

Marki

[theoneandonlymarki]

On A Cloudy Night You See Nothing

Before I got back into the swing of school, I dragged Brett out one Friday night to the Cincinnati Observatory. They have programs on Thursdays and Fridays where you get a space talk, history tour and a chance to look through their telescopes. Unfortunately for us, it was cloudy, so while we saw the telescope and we saw the night sky, we didn't see the night sky through the telescope. The Observatory has played a large role in the history of Cincinnati, and it was great to experience it for ourselves.

With love,

Marki

[theoneandonlymarki]

Restaurant Journal: The Echo

In order to prevent hanger later on in the day (we went to a morning showing of Creed), Brett and I stopped in The Echo to grab some breakfast. We had passed the place several times in Hyde Park Square, and our timing was finally right to try it. Brett went with one of the hangover helpers, The Flying Pig Sandwich. It was french toast stuffed with ham, bacon & swiss, served with powdered sugar, syrup and fruit on the side. I went with an omelete. Since I discovered my love of goetta at Sleepy Bee, I tried the Oktoberfest, which included goetta, home fries, onions and swiss, served with potato cakes and sour cream. The picture quality is pretty poor, because I left my blogging camera at home, but we were very impressed with the food. I barely ate a fourth of my omelet it was so packed full. The large portions and old timey diner setting are a great way to start the day.

With love,

Marki

[theoneandonlymarki]

What's For Dinner III

Here are a few pictures of random things I cooked way before Thanksgiving. I was waiting until I had collected enough pictures and forgot I had these stockpiled. I went on a little cooking hiatus around the end of last semester and the holidays, but new pans have given me new inspiration, so I will share more pictures soon.

With love,

Marki

[theoneandonlymarki]

Book Review: Hogwarts Library

In memory of Alan Rickman. "It is an ancient need to be told in stories."

Every year I have a few books on my Christmas list, and this year I wanted to add to my classics collection (yes, Harry Potter is a classic) with the Hogwarts Library. It includes three textbooks from Hogwarts: The Tales of Beedle The Bard, Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them and Quidditch Through The Ages, all of which are mentioned in the Harry Potter books and movies. While the plot is dependent on The Tales of Beedle The Bard, the other books give more information on the history and culture of wizards and witches than the story of Harry Potter himself. At least two were in print before his birth.

They were all quick reads, and they are a must if you have read the other books. They don't have the deep themes that are present in the main books, but they are just as clever. While I was most excited about The Tales of Beetle the Bard for obvious reasons, it was nice to read Fantastic Beasts because of the new movie coming out. I even enjoyed learning about Quidditch, mainly because of the extensive history of how the game evolved.

With love,

Marki

[theoneandonlymarki]

Sprucing

When we came back from our Christmas travels, and with some free time before school started, my focus was the apartment. We plan to be here for a few years, so we decided to invest the time and money into sprucing it up a bit.

From the moment we got our couch, we have wanted a coffee table. When we were setting up the apartment, I was unsure if a coffee table would actually fit. Plus, I was just done with picking things out. Brett kept saying a coffee table would fit, and he was ready to ditch our old media cabinet. In the house, we were limited to one that was only 45" wide, because of the space between the doors, so we had to go with the only thing we could find.

So with a clear mind and some Christmas money, I went on a hunt. With our budget and size, I knew Ikea was our best bet. One evening Brett and I made the trip and picked out a coffee table and matching media cabinet. 

Both are a dark brown-black finish. The coffee table is square with a shelf for storage underneath. The media cabinet sits lower and is longer than our previous one. I switched out the dark, round knobs that came with the media cabinet for sleek, silver ones.

I also picked up new soap dispensers. It is such a small detail, but it makes such a difference not to see any label (yes, I am that particular). I also grabbed a few more plants. Our living room corner had been missing something for some time, but I wasn't sure what. With the new media cabinet in place, I could see we needed a tree. I opted for pachira aquatica, commonly known as a money tree. I added another small plant to the coffee table, new succulent in the bathroom, and I repotted a succulent I already had into a new, crisp white pot.

Another piece that has been sprucing up our living room lately is a gorgeous arrangement my parents sent me for my birthday. It was incredibly unique and included everything from a succulent and greenery to roses and hydrangea (my favorite flower). Can you tell how much I love succulents?

The beautiful cat is an existing piece we have had for a few years now. While he mostly lounges on the couch on his zebra print blanket, he politely posed in the background of this picture. I don't think he understood I was taking a picture of the flowers.

With love,

Marki

[meandmybentley]

[theoneandonlymarki]

Roll Blob Roll!

I got an email offering graduate students a discount on basketball tickets to the Xavier versus Auburn game, and when I told Brett he immediately said let's go. We were sitting farther up than we did for the Cavs game, but we still had a great view. Plus, the Cintas Center is so close to our apartment that we walked to the game. The weather was beautiful, and we didn't have to deal with parking. Being from such a rural area where you have to drive to get anywhere, this little luxury of walking to a basketball game made the day even better.

At the time of the game, the Musketeers were 10-0 and by the end they were 11-0. It was such a good feeling to be watching my school, with all the other fans and supporters, and the team get another win. It is nice to have a winning team, and it is even better to be proud of your school, not just for their athletics.

We also got to see a large burst of school spirit, not just from the cheerleaders, but also from the mascots. There is the Musketeer. His name is D'Artagnan. In the eighties, the school added the Blue Blob because D'Artagnan was scary to young children. Both mascots play off each other well. While D'Artagnan always looks dashing with his mustache and sword, the Blue Blob also has his talents. During game breaks, he rolls across the court, while the electronic scrolling sign reads "Roll Blob Roll!"

And, of course, I repped my program apparel.

With love,

Marki

[witanddelight]

[theoneandonlymarki]

Restaurant Journal: The Hitching Post

On another lazy "I don't want to cook and clean it up" day, Brett and I decided to try The Hitching Post for lunch. They strongly push their fried chicken, which Brett tried, but I decided to go for the fried fish sandwich. The place definitely had some country charm in the middle of the city. Utensils were the theme, and they were everywhere, even glued in a mosaic on the front counter. It was quick, convenient and filled us up.

With love,

Marki

[theoneandonlymarki]

It's All About the Dress

Before the holiday rush, I wanted to make sure I got to see the High Fashion exhibit at the Cincinnati Art Museum. I saw a local fashion blogger talk about it, and I knew I couldn't miss out.

Of course, we first stopped for lunch at the museum cafe. It was delicious.

I have several pictures for you all to peruse at your leisure below. It was so interesting to walk around and wonder where the idea for the dress originated, who made it and what it felt like to wear it for the first time. It is so interesting to observe the trends of fashion, the different shapes, color, patterns and structure.

[theoneandonlymarki]

24

How the hell am I 24? This birthday completely snuck up on me.

A lady asked me for my birthday at a store when I was buying Christmas presents, and when I told her, I realized that this month was my birthday month. We celebrated my birthday with my family before Christmas, which was super weird, and I'm celebrating with Brett later in January, so even though I do have one day that marks me becoming 24, it is just this weird mush of time. Even when I was blowing out the candles, I realized I hadn't thought about my birthday wish. I like to formulate nice, complete sentences with a long exhale to get it all in. When the time came, I felt rushed, had a short choppy breath, and threw a very general wish into the universe.

I was so caught up in the semester that I didn't even give a thought to how time was passing. My mind is so full when I'm in school, but it seems almost too free when I'm on break. With no school and back from traveling, this week has been full of free time for me to run errands, clean the apartment and clean out things we don't need. I find that even when I don't have anything on my schedule, I need to make a schedule. I get so overwhelmed with having so much free time that I end up doing nothing. The possibility to do anything is so great that I don't do anything.

Although time is going so fast, I have no regrets about how I'm spending it. 2015 was an amazing year, full of change. I don't want to be in any other place. Life is good.

With love,

Marki

[theoneandonlymarki]

JOYful Things

When we arrived at my parents house a few days before Christmas, the whole house was covered in decorations. I think everything stood out to me because it was such a stark contrast to our apartment, with only my prize from the ugly sweater day as evidence Christmas was approaching. None of the decorations were new, except those she added to my room and bathroom so our quarters would also be festive. There was the nativity scene that I would rearrange time and time again when I was little (to my mother's disapproval I might add, apparently she was there at the birth of Jesus and knows exactly where everyone was standing). There was the bible open to the Christmas story, plenty of greenery, the smell of Yankee Candle Hollyberry and, of course, things that said "joy" everywhere.

My mother's name is Joy, so naturally, over the years, she and friends and family have grown her collection. She gets at least three new pieces each year, and while there are some staple decorations, she switches up how she displays her joy collection.

Being suddenly immersed in the Christmas spectacular of decorations (there were three trees, one on each level and one outside), Brett was a little overwhelmed and soon began counting all the things that said joy. A few hours after arriving he whispered "I've counted fifteen things that say joy." By the time we went to bed, he had made a game of it. He wanted to clarify the rules. We decided that if it was in a sentence it didn't count, but phrases were okay. We still disagreed over the stocking. Since it was personally referring to her, I said it didn't count, but he insisted it did. You all can decided for yourselves.

I was very amused at Brett's amusement to just how large my mom's joy collection is. I got up before Brett the next morning so I was telling my mom how Brett began to count all the joy things. She had the bright idea to make it more interesting by adding a few more joy pieces each time we left the house.

I managed to keep the secret, and Brett still doesn't know unless he reads this post. I tried to take a picture of each joy item to get a final count and compare it to his answer, but I know I missed at least three items. There wasn't a good chance for me to sneak a picture. He didn't catch on at first, but a few days in he finally admitted "I swear your mom is putting more joy things out."

Marki Final Count: 26 + 3 not pictured = 29 Brett Final Count: I think 18

I should also mention that we even had a Santa toilet seat cover, and the tree blocked most of the seating in the living room from the TV, which was slightly an issue when we introduced my parents to the world of Netflix.

We had a great stay with my parents, and it was nice to see family and friends. Santa even brought us non-electronic sources of entertainment, like Pick-Up-Stickes and Jacks. We had our Christmas morning on Christmas Eve, so we could sleep in, but it included full bellies, comfy clothes and playing with our toys.

With love,

Marki

[theoneandonlymarki]

Tom + Chee Round 2

Brett had a taste for grilled cheese, so one afternoon, off we went to Tom + Chee. We each tried something new, and neither of us were disappointed.

Brett tried the Grilled Mac-n-Cheese.While you might think this would be just a carb overload, it actually had a unique cheesy flavor. It wasn't just a bite of mush.

I went with the flying pig, which was roasted turkey, bacon, pickle, and smoked gouda. It was delicious and very filling.

We both accompanied our grilled cheese with a dipper of tomato soup.

With love,

Marki

[theoneandonlymarki]

I Hate Christmas

Yeah, I do, I hate Christmas. I have wanted to confess this publicly for some time, but I have avoided this topic for fear it is too touchy. As always, these are just my personal opinions. You don’t have to agree, and I don't expect you too. If you don’t like it, don’t read it.

Christmas = Consumerism

Christmas is the season to buy hundreds of material items that you (or anyone else) don’t need. From the decorations to the gifts, I feel like people buy just to buy, with no thought of the item after Christmas. These feelings probably come from my perspective of “your stuff begins to own you” and “you actually have no need for that item” that I developed after reading The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up. We also live in a small apartment with little to no storage space. I see all the decorations people are buying, and I can only think about the amount of space they waste eleven months out of the year with stuff just sitting there.

There is also the obligation of gift giving that furthers the buying frenzy. I love giving gifts, when I know the person and have found something I know they will enjoy and love, but I hate giving gifts out of obligation.  You might love the person, but you just can’t think of anything they would enjoy. Maybe they get themselves anything they need or want, or maybe they are just really picky. The pressure is on to find a material item that expresses just how you feel about that person. (Can we just go out to eat?) Or, you might not love the person, you might not even like them, but once again, the consumerism of Christmas obligates you to buy this person a present. It sucks when you have to spend your time and money out of obligation. This just leads to more negativity. Maybe this time would be better-spent just sending positivity to this person, or finding some way to appreciate them in your life.

The consumerism of Christmas grows every year, and now we have swallowed up Thanksgiving. Not only does shopping on Thanksgiving take family time away from retail workers, but it also is a terrible way to start the season. There is a popular meme that says “Black Friday—when people trample others for cheap goods mere hours after being thankful for what they already have.” Since when did people fight each other for cheap TVs. If you are willing to physically fight someone for a TV, you probably need to watch less TV.

Christmas ≠ Relaxation & Solace

As a child, Christmas is magical. You’re in this holiday fog, where everything is twinkling lights and sugar. (Unless you are me, and have territorial issues, and won’t go to sleep because you are freaking out that Santa is going to come in your house.) Then you grow up, and the magic turns to stress. Decorating, buying gifts, cooking food, planning, traveling, the lists just grows. I know some adults still experience the magic of Christmas, but I've just lost it. My practicality and cynicism has just taken over. Welcome true adulthood.

It is an ironic cruelty that Santa “checks his list twice” because I’m sure most parents are making more than one list and going over it at least three times. You have to spend about the same amount on each kid, and you have to make sure they have the same number of gifts. Have fun doing the math if you have three or more kids. I have the greatest respect for parents this time of year. Not only do they have to shop, wrap and hide gifts, cook food, deal with their children being out of school and consuming more sugar than usual, but they have to do all of that with a smile. Forget “Christmas break,” getting more sleep or doing something you want to do. It’s all about the kids.

The I went into a long rant, which included a disclaimer that I am not a parent, but I decided to not include that because it basically turned into a discussion on existentialism. To summarize, I feel Americans have lost the true spirit of Christmas. We should simply just spend time with those we love and be able to enjoy it.

Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy listing to Christmas music. (Although when stores play it in the middle of November, I am done with it by the middle of December.) I’ll put on my ugly Christmas sweater, and of course, I will eat some cookies. I’m not so cold hearted that you can call me a Grinch, but I am definitely not full of holiday cheer.

I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas filled with love and relaxation.

Merry Christmas,

Marki