HuffPo & Me!

GUESS WHAT?!

Arianna Huffington is my new bestie! Valentine's Day is in less than two weeks. I usually don't give a flying fork about Vday. I'm an army of 1+poodle, and can't really imagine having the time or patience for much else. But even if I did have a +1, I really wouldn't have anytime for him seeing as my brownies have been FEATURED ON THE HUFFINGTON POST!



pardon the bad editing of this screen shot

 THAT'S RIGHT!  About a week ago, an Etsy Admin member contacted me about a possible feature on the Huffington Post's Valentine's Day Gifts for Men, from Etsy guide. I kind of half believed it was a hoax, but seeing as how they didn't ask me for my social security number and weren't claiming to be one of my long lost cousins from Nigeria (which wouldn't really have worked on me, seeing as how I've actually spent time with good amount of my family in Nigeria) I responded to the email and provided the information they ask for, and told myself that nothing would come of it. I'm a pessimist in that way, tragic I know.

But wouldn't you know, as I was I checking my Etsy stats this morning, I saw a big spike in traffic, and sure enough the source was from the one and only Huffington Post. #O.M.G.

As you would imagine, I'm geekin' at my desk right now. And I'm also thinking of every way I can drive traffic to the article . I'm also freaking out a bit, and worrying that this will either be a bust for and result in 0 sales, or be an amazing success resulting in more sales than I have space in my kitchen to bake with.

Obviously, I have issues. But either way, this totally just made my Friday!

And I would be remiss if I say it. What are you getting YOUR guy from V-Day? Butter is Love and Browned Butter is Lust. True Story.

!Besos de Chocolate!

Perfecting Perfection

Meatless Monday will be back once I stop eating EVERYTHING. 'Tis the season to be greedy, am I right?!

Speaking of the holidays, guess what's baaaaack! Brownies and Blondies! You may remember that several months ago I ventured into selling these treats on Etsy. I made a few sales, learned a few things and my life went a bit hectic and trying to get my little brownie business off the ground had to take a back burner. Well that is no longer the case. Things have settled and I'm back in business. During my time "off" I did some thinking about my core product, my piéce de résistance, my Beurre Noisette brownies. To date, the recipe that I use is awesome, regardless of if I flub the execution or not, the brownies are always slap yo' mama good. But as a very small business trying to make an name (and some cash) in the big world of Etsy, I realized that there is always room for improvement, and that even perfection can be perfected.

Now I'm no fool, when it comes to baking, I know there's very little room for change in measurements and proportions. Well actually, that's not true, because it took one "failed" batch of brownies [my roommate and I still ate them, trust!] to really learn not to play around with the measurements. Instead, I've learned to upgrade my ingredients. A brownie may be a humble confection, but even the humble deserve a luxury upgrade. And by luxury I mean Valrhona cocoa powder,  Kerrygold Irish butter, and toasted walnuts. And I have to say, the upgrades were worth the investment!

And in the spirit of giving, I'm offering 25% off any purchase in my Etsy shop, Browned Butter Sweets to my blog readers with the promo code EatReadRant. I'm in the process of revamping all of my recipes and photos, so I'll keep you updated on that progress. The above promotional code doesn't expire, and I have to say these brownies make great gifts!

NomNom, folks. And happy shopping!

Open for Business and BiWinning!

Teenagers are stupid. Like, scary stupid. Teen Mom may be the most disturbing program I've ever seen, and I watched both seasons of Flavor of Love, so that saying a lot. The epic fail on the part of everyone whose featured on this show literally makes me fear for the future. I need to call my mother and tell her how much I love her, and thank her for not failing me as a parent. Seriously. This morning, as I was watching the train wreck that is the lives of these terrifyingly stupid teen parents, I realized I'm probably witnessing the early years of future strippers and murders of America, and a chill ran down my spine. I shudder to think what happens when the cameras aren't rolling. But there is a moral to this story that goes beyond sex education, and a well deserved back-hand to the face of all of these girls--especially Jenelle (Jesus be a fence!). I've realized that while there are many things to be legitimately afraid of, like parenting teenagers, crossing the streets in Baltimore, and the Republican agenda to defund Planned Parenthood (obviously they haven't seen this show), a small business venture on Etsy really should not be one of them. With that said, I'm proud to announce that I am officially open for business on Etsy!



You can click on the above link, or the button on the side bar, and it will take you right to my shop, were you can place an order.

And for the giveaway winners... Thank you to everyone who entered.

The winner of the Brownies is Chavonne from Like It's Golden!
The winner of the Blondies is Fugitivwits!

Congrats to both of you. Inbox me your addresses, and do me the biggest favor and share them with people who have money to burn, and refer them to my shop :-) I've got some baking to do this weekend, will ship on Monday!

Bourbon Vanilla Blondies + Giveaway= TGIF!

I don't know about you, but it's been quite a week for me. In the last five days, I have seriously considered quitting my job--twice, received my first acupuncture treatment, realized I have no choice but to pursue my plans for an Etsy shop lest I want to go to Spain with my old point n shoot, gotten about 20 hours of restful sleep, suffered through four nightmares, received my package for my CSN product review and found out that a 12" cast iron skillet is really fucking big, realized I lost my $10 bottle of mighty grip yet still attempted a pole split and didn't fall to my death (success pending on LOTS of stretching, mighty grip and a miracle), successfully made brownies and blondies of "insane greatness" and subsequently consumed half of each batch, thereby ingesting an estimated 3000 auxiliary calories that I'm sure will show up on my lower stomach three days before I leave for the beaches and men of Spain AND finally gave in to the feelings that I could no longer deny and admitted to myself and world via Facebook that I'm in love.........with Pauly D from Jersey Shore. Don't judge me.

So let's talk about those blondies. What's a blondie, you ask? Blondies are exactly what they sound like, which are a chocolate free, or "blonde" version of brownies. While a chocolate free version of any form of dessert may be considered sacrilege to some, it's a welcome variation on a American classic to others. I mean, even if you are a self proclaimed raging chocoholic connoisseur of fine cocoa based confections, can you really deny the awesomeness that results from combining browned butter is lust, brown sugar, bourbon, and vanilla extract?? I didn't think you could. Just admit it. It doesn't mean you love chocolate any less. I won't tell anyone. Scout's honor.



Beurre Noisette Brownies

Beurre Noisette (burr nwah-ZET):
-noun, French
a sauce of butter cooked until golden or toasty brown in color, producing a nutty aroma and flavor.

Buerre Noisette, or browned butter, is, as far as I'm concerned, the baking equivalent to rendered bacon fat.  An epicurean treasure of immeasurable value, it somehow makes the love that is butter even better, and could only have been gifted to the world by the French, who in my humble opinion, are the foremost authority on all things pastry and/or dessert. Don't believe me? Take a trip to Paris, and walk into any bakery or as they call them, patisserie shop, and tell me you don't want to eat everything you see. Or if you're fortunate enough to have an authentic patisserie shop nearby, you could just go there and order half a pound of raspberry macaroons and a pear tart resist the urge to order 1 of everything in the case. Bet you can't say that about your corner bakery. Don't get me wrong, I like desserts of many varieties and cultural origins, but nothing can hold a candle to French desserts. It is browned butter that was the key ingredient in this brownie recipe that ultimately convinced me to create my own shop on Etsy, and finally give life to my "side hustle" plans.

I wish I could say this recipe was an original creation, but I've already established that I'm no baking queen. However, I never met a recipe I couldn't alter, and contrary to popular belief, there is room for experimentation in baking, albeit not much. What changes did I make? Well if I told you, I'd have to kill you, and that wouldn't be good for business. Just know that these brownies were delicious perfection, and one lucky reader will be able to soon confirm that for free! But this isn't the giveaway post yet, this is just the teaser, cuz I'm a tease like that (but don't ask around to confirm that, lol). In the meantime, enjoy the gratuitous brownie making food porn

Sugar and Cocoa 

Chopped Walnuts

This is where the magic starts

A Glorious Beurre Noisette

As if I would let all that good go to waste 

Perfection!

Afternoon Crumbs...

Hola guapas!! I'm such a wayward blogger, I don't know why you even tolerate me. I know I'm supposed to have a Meatless Monday post for you today, buuuuut unfortunately, I'm suffering a terrible case of blogger's block, and my sad and pathetic half written MM post is still being "worked on", and I would rather not share it with the world just yet. I may hate my job, but I love this blog, and you guys deserve the best I can be. Which brings me to my next point.
For sometime, I've been contemplating ways to bring in a little extra cash in my pockets. I finally settled on the idea of opening a shop on Etsy and selling some sweet edibles, but have been wary about it because, well, I'm a self proclaimed NON baker. Or at least I thought I was, until I came across a recipes for brownies that just screamed "sell me on Etsy...and while you're at it, sell blondies too!" So a few weeks ago, I decided that I was definitely going to do it, and would preview the brownies and blondies on this here blog, while sharing said brownies with friends and coworkers, to gauge their sell ability.

So where are these brownies, you ask? Well, I made them both, but I fudged the recipe on the brownies, and wasn't blown away by the blondies, and have been avoiding remaking them for fear that this is a massively bad idea. BUT I don't "do" fear for very long, because I just don't have the patience for it, and it's non productive. I've also realized that I leave for Spain (again) in two months, having any extra cash on hand would be exceptionally helpful. Sooo with that said, I'm forcing myself, by way of this blog post, to try TRY again with each of these recipes this week and post them to the blog.

And here's where things get interesting. I've decided to do a GIVEAWAY for each recipe. Since I'm thinking about selling these goodies on Etsy, packing and shipping them are an equally important part of the process, and what better test audience for such an endeavor than you guys?! It's a win-win, and totally makes up for some of my broken blog resolutions.

So here goes...wish me luck...

A Timeout Was in Order

I'll be the first person to admit that I have a short attention span. In fact, some would go as far to say I have a mild case of ADD, which seems to have gotten worse with age--and I might be inclined to agree. But I pride myself on being able to focus long enough to get the important things done, especially at the very last minute, because I'm procrastinator. But this week, while working on an application for a possible future endeavor that I won't expand upon, I just could not focus.  Before I knew it, I was staring at my computer Thursday evening, having made practically zero progress on my essays in days.  And so I did what any responsible aspiring young professional did when facing a Monday deadline. I decided to put myself in timeout, threw on my coat and boots, and trudged through snow covered side walks to the fancy wine store around the corner from my apartment.  I figured since I was unable to put intelligent words on my computer screen, I could at least put some quality wine in my pantry, and my belly (cue Ron Burgundy). When I got to the store, I told them what I was looking for, and had a very "Say Yes to the  Dress Wine" experience. I ended up going home a a slightly buttery, unoaked chardonnay and an award winning Chilean Carmenere. According to the woman in the store, it was steal for the price, and she made me promise to come back and tell her how what I thought of it. Upon returning home, I took my little timeout one step further, and marinated a pork loin--details on that later. And then it happened. I had a glass of wine, and the words started flowing. I was able to produce about 75% of my essay that very night. It just what I needed to power through to the next day to complete and submit my application 3 whole days before it was due. Sha-zaam!

I decided to save this for a special occasion

And with my application submitted Friday evening, I was able to enjoy a FABULOUS weekend that included a girl's night out for Baltimore Restaurant week (blog post coming), a ridiculously good pork loin (blog post coming) AND a few surprises for y'all in the near future!

Consider this my apology for my absence :-)

Looking Forward

So as I mentioned in my last post, I've been busy with application essays for future endeavors. I wish I was done with jumping through through all of these hoops, but alas, I have yet another application due next week. In lieu of the new year, and the sort of forward reflection that comes with, I've had a lot on my mind for the last few weeks, and most of it was negative. But earlier this week, I had the opportunity to participate in an intimate discussion over dinner with one of the leading experts in the field of health policy and law in the country. From this dinner, I was able to take home a few key points, that at this point in time, were really encouraging. The first of which is that I probably haven't wasted over two years in a job that I'm not fond of, and that I'm definitely heading in the right direction. The second was that, there is still so much to be done, and the health reform law only scratches the surface. And the third and most important was that I was reminded of exactly what I want to do with my career and why. That entire experience provided a much needed moment of clarity and encouragement. It's been really hard for me to see the forest through the trees in the last few months, but I've been feeling like a new woman as of recent, and I'm pretty sure that's only half due to the reintroduction of coffee into my life. So with that said, my friends, I hope to impart the same encouragement and clarity to you as well. How 'bout that for a Friday post?

Oh, and just a heads up, my next few posts will probably be fluff, while I finish up this application. Maybe I'll finally get some pictures of me in pole class 8)

(Pandora's) Raspberry Souffles

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La Vida Española: the Good, the Rant, & the Caramel Vodka

*Disclaimer*
The following blog post is a melding of exactly how I feel at the moment, which is a mixture of excitement, hope, determination, nostalgia, despair, and anger. Of my own accord, I realize that merging of such topics into one post makes zero sense. But actually, it makes perfect sense. And besides, it's my blog, and I can rant and rave about hating my job and partying in Spain if I want to. I'm sure by now, I've made quite clear the awesome time I had on my trip.  I'm also sure that if you've been following the blog for a while, I've made quite clear that I hate my job, and have been on the relentless prowl for something better, which after 14 months, is still to no avail. Just a head's up, cuz it might get a little weird.

In case you missed it, I will reiterate that my two weeks in España and Morocco were magnificent.  Like unicorns and glitter magnificent.

The cousin's roommate. They both like to make faces, jajaja

see unicorn on his shirt +glitter on me [Actually, it's body shimmer from Victoria's Secret. It's a self indulgent, gratuitously girly, if not completely ridiculous body powder that makes me sparkle like an Oscar statue freshly spit shined by the 8 year old Taiwanese sweat shop worker that assembled it for 61 cents an hour. It is the single most fabulous thing in my makeup bag and most favorite cosmetic purchase of all time] =magnificent!

¡The we were introduced to Sobrasada!

My trip was so good, in fact, that my short time there only solidified what I've long suspected even before my first venture into Europe back when I was in college and even more so every time I return from there: life in these United States just ain't for me! Now one could say that this is just my inner bougie rearing it's ugly head. That of course I would want to up and move to España after having had a great vacation in the presence of great company, as most people feel that way when returning from really good vacations, especially to Europe. The only difference between me and those folks, is that I'm not bullshitting you. I'm currently hatching a 16-24 month plan, I've been forsaking TV for Rosetta Stone, and I've decided that I'm getting a new job by October [DO YOU HEAR ME UNIVERSE?! I WILL GET A NEW JOB BY OCTOBER. SCREW YOU AND SCREW THIS RECESSION. I'M DONE WITH MY BULLSHIT JOB. YOU WILL GIVE ME A NEW FUCKING JOB BECAUSE I'VE PUT IN THE WORK. I'VE GOT A FUCKING BINDER FULL OF SUBMITTED RESUMES TO PROVE IT YOU FECKLESS BITCH! I'M SMART, I'M A FAST LEARNER, I'M QUALITATIVE AND A RESEARCHER BY NATURE AND I YEARN TO BE CHALLENGED, APPRECIATED, AND NEEDED AT MY PLACE OF EMPLOYMENT! SO HEAR ME NOW, OCTOBER WILL COME, AND I WILL BE A NEW EMPLOYEE IN THE DISTRICT OF FUCKING COLUMBIA. GOT THAT? GOOD!] that pays a little better and doesn't me make dread getting out of bed each morning, so I can appropriately save for what will be an expensive transition and not be completely loony by the time I arrive in Barcelona.  Honestly, if a legitimate opportunity presented itself tomorrow, I'd be on a plane with the poodle and chuckin' Obama n' dem the the deuces, and giving my job [the building and the institution itself, not so much my coworkers] the finger and some other choice words, in Español, of course.

But back to the unicorns and glitter. [Yes I am going to completely resume my train of thought as if I didn't just completely lose it on the blog. Damn it feels good to be a gangsta!] You've seen the food, and I've touched on some of the best aspects, like the hot men EVERYWHERE [like even the garbage men were hot, several of them, hell even the gay men were hot, like "hot sthuff ssss!" hot], the partying, the warmth of the Moroccan people, and of course, the shopping.  But there was so much more to it. Imagine if say, the U.S. had a 25% unemployment rate. There would be rioting in the streets. Literally. Well that is the current unemployment rate in España, and the country is still standing, and people are still living their lives, and not committing murder/suicides as was tragically observed at the onset of the economic downturn here at home. It's just in my two weeks there, I got the feeling that the Spaniards know more about living their lives than we do. My cousin whose been there for five years agrees. There's just a jena sais quois about their lifestyle. It's hot shit. And I want to be a part of it.

And then there was the Caramel Vodka. I'm a boozehound, [cue Chelsea Handler] as indicated in these posts. I don't know if I've really made clear my obsession with caramel, but you should know, it's real serious y'all. Real serious. With that said, please enjoy the following presentation of tomfoolery and awesomeness, courtesy of carmel vodka, other various libations, and of course, guapos. The four of us sure did ;-]

It should be mentioned, that perhaps with the exception of my cousin himself, there is probably no one else more upset about his upcoming transfer back to the States than I am. I was really REALLY trying to get back to España before his return. But outrageous plane ticket prices are killing me right now.

Last but not least, have you signed up for the giveaway yet?  Yeah, take care of that here. 

I'm So Great!(?)...or So I've Been Tagged..

I'm so great? I can do anything good? I've been tagged by one of my favorite bloggers, Maddy from The Maddy Chronicles in a challenge to state six positive things about myself.  My initial reaction is that I'm super flattered that Maddy would shout me out on her awesome blog [which if you haven't already checked it out, you should, if only for the amazing pictures that's made me vow to take a photography class]. My second thought, was pure horror. I've always silently avoided these sorts of challenges, for fear that I wouldn't be able come up with an required number of positive statements about myself. Yeah..I'm very critical of myself. But, since I've been explicitly asked to participate in this challenge and I know that it's a a very healthy thing to do, I've decided to take the plunge:

1. I'm a planner extraordinaire, I make lists, I check them twice, I cross things off, I move forward. Now of course I don't always make continuous progress through my lists, but I understand that if I write it down, it will happen eventually, and therefore quitting is NEVER an option. Like when I opened a savings account specifically named "Barcelona" two summers ago, I had no idea when it was going to Spain, but as you know now, my heart is in Barcelona!

I even keep my to do list on my google homepage! I just got my Rosetta Stone for Spanish, between the blog, Spain and networking I've made 4-6 new friends, and I know that "A job that excites me" will happen when it's supposed to, I just know it!

2. I'm loyal, possibly to a fault. Seriously. Even though I grumble about it sometimes, I would do anything for my family, and my friends too. They know they can count on me when they need me. It can be exhausting sometimes, but I don't even know how not to be loyal like that. Anytime I've ever I've had to remove a person from my life, it wasn't something I took lightly, and the person was really REALLY sucky for me to get to that point.

3. I'm Adventurous. There are many many things that I'll say, "Sure, why not!" to. Like going to Morocco because we're gonna be in the south of Spain, it's right there, and those guys we met in Paris said Marrakech is a must see! Or getting on the banana boat ride in Puerto Rico. Or touching a snake in the square in Marrakech. Or going to that haunted house in bumble fuck, Delaware. Unless the adventure blatantly involves serious risks to my life, my biggest fears, or nasty food, the odds are I'll do it. I've learned some lessons via this method--like I do NOT like haunted houses, that's gonna be a "NO" for the rest of my life...

I realized AFTER I signed my life away that I had NO idea what I was doing! But it as Awsome! Puerto Rico '08

4. I'm Decisive. My thought processes involve a systematic elimination of what I don't want, determining exactly what I do want, and then unwaveringly focusing on finding/achieving exactly that. I rarely have a hard time coming to a concrete decision.

5. I'm Entertainingly Cynical. I'm not your average Negative Nadette. The glass may be half empty as far as I'm concerned, but rest assured I have something snarky, if not wildly inappropriate to say about it. And when it's all said and done, I still appreciate the sight of roses, yellow ones especially, but I'm not stopping to smell them, because only silly optimists asking for a bee sting and a nose full of pollen participate in such activities.

6. I Can Cook. DUH! Considering my friends are always trying to make me cook for them, and a few of them have actually tricked me into doing it, I can confidently say that I kinda know what I'm doing when it comes to food. And even when I don't, it's usually still edible.

I catered my apartment warming party last summer. The food was a hit!

So I'm tagging all of my readers in this challenge. List 6 positive things about yourself, I'm listening! Oh and more on Spain & Morocco to come, trust!

Desperate Times Call for Expensive Measures

So it's been a while since my last post.  And honestly, I debated back and forth whether or not to share this post for several reasons:
1. I'm a private person, I prefer to hold on to personal information rather than share it, even when to the average bear, the information seems arbitrary. [I certainly inherited this behavior from Linda (mommy), that woman can keep secrets, but I digress.]
2. In the spirit of keeping to the theme of this blog, (food, health policy, and the rantings of a crazy woman) this post doesn't necessarily fall neatly into any of those categories, and the key to a good blog is that it is focused, relatable, and entertaining. [and consistent, oops]
3. I'm a lazy ass heifer, and to demonstrate how the topic of this post falls into two of the three aforementioned categories to my full satisfaction means I can't just pull this post out of my ass.

BUT in the spirit of Belle and Toya's latest blog posts of "Do You Know Where You're Going To?" and considering that I haven't posted in almost a week and I'm trying to win this internal battle to not emulate some of Linda's crazier behaviors, I've decided to share.

Last night, I went to my very first, but certainly not last, private tutoring session for Quantitative & Qualitative Data Analysis & Statistics.

[you may be asking aloud, "What?" "Why?" and "How expensive?"]

Without actually telling you what that shit is if you don't already know [for those with inquiring minds, click the link above], I'll just say that its a critical health policy job skill that I LACK [thanks for fucking nothing Master's Degree in Health Promotion] and is a recurring theme that's beleaguered my ONGOING job search, and I've had ENOUGH!

It's not that I didn't know that I needed this job skill when I first began to realize that I hated my effin job and it was time for a new one. I just told myself, "I'll learn this skill in a semi-entry level position within the field." It's what I told myself when I had the mother of all epiphanies and realized that I wanted to work in Health Policy rather than Health Education. I even tried to take a formal class at the University of Baltimore a few months ago, but OF COURSE the intro level class is only offered in the FALL semester [and so help me God, if I'm still at this job come fall, I'm going to do this]. But it was last month, shortly after realizing that my phone interview was all I was going to get out of the PERFECT JOB and hot on the heels of a rejection email from a different job, I decided it was time to grab the bull by the horns.

Aren't you loving my dodgeball reference? I'm no underdog though,  purple cobras!

I have had enough of not even being able to apply to positions because this skill is a mandatory requirement for all applicants.  I have had some education in this subject area, but haven't used it since that take home final senior year of UNDERGRAD, after which I promptly began drinking in celebration of being "done" with my college studies. In hindsight, perhaps that was a poor choice, and in further hindsight, its more than obvious that my college studies are far from over. [God appreciates irony. Usually I do as well, but today, I do NOT].

So after 2 hours of basic statistics roundup, I'm a little bit smarter [it turns out, I'm not completely inept when it comes to this crap, its just requires me to really apply myself and focus] $XX poorer, feeling a bit more encouraged, and certainly 1/2 a step closer to getting where I want to be.

So yes, this post is a rant about how focused I am at getting a job in health policy, and yeah, I got a pile of homework waiting for me at home. So it turns out this is a health policy and rant post. Shazzaam!

If you were in my position, would you do the same? And are you just as pissed as I am that I didn't get this skill drilled into my brain in grad school like I was SUPPOSED to? Are any of my readers experts in this skill and willing to tutor me for free? (or for food, y'all know I like to cook!)

Soap Box Wednesdays: TMI about BMI

Today is my first Soap Box Wednesday post! I would've posted this last week, but I've been encountering serious blogger's block and plain ol' laziness. Since I was inundated with responses for topics of discussion for SBW *sarcasm*, I've decided to share my thoughts on BMI,  otherwise known as Body Mass Index.

So before I share my thoughts, let's start with the science:

According to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC):

Body Mass Index (BMI) is a number calculated from a person's weight and height. BMI provides a reliable indicator of body fatness for most people and is used to screen for weight categories that may lead to health problems. BMI is used as a screening tool to identify possible weight problems for adults. However, BMI is not a diagnostic tool. For example, a person may have a high BMI. However, to determine if excess weight is a health risk, a health care provider would need to perform further assessments. These assessments might include skin fold thickness measurements, evaluations of diet, physical activity, family history, and other appropriate health screenings.

The Metric Calculation for BMI is your weight in kilograms divided by your height in meters squared: xx(kg)/[xx(m)2]  [shout out to all my international readers!]

The American Calculation for BMI is your weight in pounds divided by your height in inches squared multiplied by 703: xx(lbs)/[xx(in)2]x703

or you can skip this trip down middle school algebra lane and use a BMI calculator like this

...So what's my BMI?

weight: 116 pounds [yeah I'm not that girl who won't reveal her weight. I told people my weight when I was 134 pounds, I just don't care that much...] height: 64 inches [yeah...I'm vertically challenged, so what!]

*random math mumblings* [carry the 1...cross multiply 703...I really suck at math, lol]

BMI=19.9

OK, so what the hell does that number mean??

Well, the standard weight status categories associated with BMI ranges for adults are: 

Below 18.5 Underweight

18.5 – 24.9 Normal

25.0 – 29.9 Overweight

30.0 and Above Obese

It's just that simple.....NOT!

What if my BMI isn't "normal" does that really mean I'm overweight?
Is there an ideal BMI or weight I should aim for?
Is BMI biased/skewed more toward those of European descent and doesn't factor in my ethnically influenced body shape and "shapely gifts"?

*My Thoughts*

IMO, BMI generally does what its supposed to. The range in values for each category are fairly generous to allow for variations in body type and weight distribution, including some of those shapely "gifts from the motherland". Height and weight do have a strong correlation to your body fat distribution; if you're only 5'2" and weigh 150 pounds, the odds are, you truly are overweight. HOWEVER, that doesn't mean the system is perfect.  Since BMI only factors in weight, and not body composition (ratio of body fat, muscle, and bone) it can lead some people astray. You need to first understand your body and be honest with yourself. If you have a naturally athletic/muscular build, and/or you're walkin' around all swole like Terry Crews or Serena Williams, you may end up with a 25+ BMI score, because muscle weighs more than fat.

Damn, I gotta get my weight up!

If this is what you look like, a body composition measurement will give you a more accurate interpretation of your weight (you can get a body comp measurement at most local fitness clubs, more info about body composition can be read here.) Just remember that the term overweight really means "over fat", and being over fat is bad for your health. Looking like either of these two, if naturally acquired of course, is not.

Big boobs and some extra junk in yo' trunk may also skew your BMI score, but if you have junk in yo' gut, thighs, arms, etc as well, then you could probably stand to lose a few pounds. Which brings me to my next point.

So if your BMI is above "normal" (25-29.9) and your not a walking ad for Gold's Gym, you may want to lose a few pounds. And when I say a few, I don't mean you need to lose 20lbs. I don't really believe in an "ideal" weight or BMI (singular) but I am a fan of an ideal range of weight/BMI (3-6 pounds). Again, this goes back to knowing your body.  I've always had a small build, my nickname is preschool was "tiny-tot", I've heard every skinny joke imaginable [my favorite was "you're so skinny, you could hula-hoop with a cheerio"...c'mon that's damn funny!]  While at first, I was a little shocked to see my BMI to be so low at 19.9, it wouldn't make sense to desire a BMI of 24. Even with having a naturally muscular build when I was at my "studyin' n munchin" weight of 134, my BMI was 23, and it didn't always look great. Likewise, if you have never been forced to drink Ensure shakes by a mother who refused to listen to doctors who said, "she's fine, she's just small"** [no bullshit! I can't drink milkshakes to this day..] then perhaps aiming for a BMI of 19 is unrealistic, and probably unhealthy.  It has been discussed within the medical/research community*, that a 5-10% reduction in overall body weight can result in significantly improved health outcomes (blood pressure, blood sugar, blood lipid levels, etc). Granted this sentiment generally applies to those who are Obese (BMI of 30+), it's a good place to start your weight loss goal even if you just need to shed a few pounds, for whatever your motivation is. So if you're 5'4", 150 pounds, BMI of 25.7, you can start with a goal of losing 7.5 -15 pounds. Its nothing drastic, and if you go about losing the weight properly (i.e. no crazy diets, no insane workout regime that you can't possibly sustain), then you're off to a really good start.

One last point I'll make is that a low BMI can also be deceptive. Body Composition is an important factor here. You may have a naturally small frame, a non-muscular build, and have a normal BMI of 20, yet still have body fat composition that is higher than what is considered healthy. There are probably a good deal of women who may fall into this category, especially those "naturally thin" women who are completely INACTIVE. I'll say it once more, you need to understand your body. Determining your body composition isn't something you can do on your own, ask about it your gym or doctor's office.

Hopefully this information has been helpful. I think I'll step off my soap box now...

Thoughts? Questions? Comments? How did I do for my first soap box post? Should I follow up with a body composition post since I mentioned it several times?

*I recently read about this when trying to land my dream job--well not so much a dream job, the the dream stepping stone job. I had a phone interview, got my hopes all high, and then they got left high and dry. Sigh, another rant for another day...
**for the record, I really don't like being called "small, little, or petite" i have too much personality for those terms. I prefer to think of myself as "travel size" lol...

Eat, Drink, Miss the Train, & Be Merry!

Birthdays are always an interesting experience for me. Always. Sometimes they're bad interesting--like when my dog died 4 days before my birthday then my great grandmother died the week after. Sometimes they're outrageous, like the year I celebrated in NYC and this guy bit me on my shoulder [no bullshit!]--but I still had a GREAT time! This year's birthday experience was no different, as it had its share of dramatic events. But regardless of those events, my birthday overwhelmingly AWESOME. Thank you to all my family, friends, and random strangers/potential new friends who made it one I'll always remember :-)

Remember my networking event? It was great! I made some great connections, met some new potential friends, [which as you may know is really hard to do once you get out of school], and shamelessly flirted from time to time [remember there were drink specials...]

Alihah and I had such a great time, in fact, that we left the venue later than we should've, got caught up tax day post office traffic, and I missed the last train out of DC! Alihah had to drive me all the way back to bmore, then turn around and go back to Arlington--[that's what friends are foooor!]--and somehow we both made it into work the next day!

Friday, I found out I got my first blog award! Maddy from The Maddy Chronicles has bestowed upon me a Best Blogger Award! I am beaming from ear to ear! Thank You Maddy!! :-D

I'd like to thank the academy...(insert inappropriate Kathy Griffin style joke here) [I'm sorry Jesus, you know I love you, but it was funny!]

Saturday was my Birthday Dinner. Normally, I have gone to some club and drank/danced the night away--with mixed results.  This year, I wanted something low key and easy to execute, not because I'm getting old, but because I'm not finished paying for my expensive ass amazing awesomely fantastic vacation. And I'd rather not resort to go-go dancing at the local gay bar in order to do so...then again some extra cash is always a good thing when I'm in Europe...but I digress...

Dress Reveal...

Just because I was only having a dinner didn't mean I couldn't dress to drop jaws, lol...
I owe a big THANK YOU to Jonesy over at The Bliss List for putting me on to www.asos.com where I got this dress for a price that was almost too good be true!

we laughed...
OK...it turns out I don't have any great pics of us laughing...but I know somebody does











we drank...

we ate...

Tapas is one of my favorite dining experiences: small plates and lots of choices. We dined at Pazo, which in my opinion is the swankiest eatery in Baltimore.  Its a huge converted warehouse space, the food is always on point, and the drinks will get ya drunk! Its one of the few places in Baltimore to see and be seen in. I recommend the veal and pork empanadas and the scallion bruschetta with goat cheese!

We drank some more

We laughed and ate a lot more...

a good time was had by all!

So I thought that 2X was going to be "my year." Well life didn't work out the way I thought it would [big surprise] but I was still a good year, I learned a LOT about myself, and all that jazz...

Well, I'm a year older, certainly a year wiser, and I can't wait to see what 2x+1 will bring...