Wilde Week #15

1. It has been a week full of baking!  I was making all sorts of fun sweet for the NYC bake sale for No Kid Hungry and went through pounds and pounds of sugar, chocolate, almond flour and butter.  It was an amazing day where I got to help out a great cause and meet so many NYC area bloggers!  Such a great group of ladies (and guy!).  I'm looking forward to making some savory treats over the next few weeks.

2.  This is the most amazing lip balm ever.  A little expensive for lip balm, but it's amazing!!!

3. While in Brooklyn yesterday, BF and I came upon the Bust Magazine craft fair.  There were so many amazing artists, jewelers, sewers and crafters from the area and I found a few amazing pieces.  Including this necklace!  I have been lusting after a geode necklace for months and this one really caught my eye. (You can find the super nice jeweler, Eileen, here on Etsy!)

4. I love this list.  And yes, it makes me feel old.  So very old.

5. Chemistry has been not only fruitful this week, but it has been fun to look at!  The first flask contains dry potassium dichromate, the second flask is after dissolving in hydrochloric acid and adding zinc dust.  Inorganic chemistry is so pretty.

6. I bought a container of dried kiwis are Fairway market the other day and I have no idea what to do with them!  Other than eat them all, of course.  They taste like candy.

7. Spring is slowly coming to the Tri-state area.  I'm looking forward to the hot days of summer when BF and I can get strawberry shakes at Shake Shack and sit in the park.  We spent some time at the Brooklyn Bridge park this weekend, napping on the lawn, it was fabulous.

I hope you are enjoying your weekend and decompressing for the week to come!

Wilde Week #14

1. It's been a long week in the lab.  I've been working on a tricky new synthesis and have spent the majority of my time on my feet, running around the labs.  As of Friday, I'm happy to report that I completed the synthesis and made my project leader and boss very happy.  Along the way I ran a nickel reduction and during the course of the reaction, the nickel became magnetic.  Enjoy the magnetic lines formed as my newly magnetized nickel dances around my magnetic stir bar.

2. It was a week of ups and downs.  Like Sunday, when I discovered my iPad screen had shattered somehow.  It's still a mystery to me.  Then moments later I noticed there was a Groupon for iPad screen replacement.  

3. Why Jimmy Fallon was so good and so terrible on SNL.  Enjoy the top 10 crack-ups of SNL.  Love it.

4. I wore these shoes to work Friday.  The only thing most people said to me was "Whoa!  Those shoes are bright!"  My girlfriends told me they were awesome.  I believe both groups of people were correct!  Please note, these are just hot pink ballet flats.  Not hot pink four inch heels.  Wait till they see my lime green Sperry wedges this summer!

5. Why yes magazine, I am grossed out by walking around the yoga studio in my bare feet.  Am I willing to drop $110 for some adorable pink and orange polka dotted foot wraps?  Maybe...

6. If I could, I would make everything in a muffin tin.  You too?  Here are some cool ideas, some that I'd never even thought of before.  Love the mini lasagnas.

7. I'm spending this weekend prepping for the NYC bake sale that is happening next Saturday at the Brooklyn Flea.  If you're in the city next weekend, stop by and support No Kid Hungry by picking up some tasty treats made by some of your favorite NYC area food bloggers and bakeries!  There are some raffles you can enter, even if you aren't in the NYC area!  Enter Here!

Have yourself a great week and hopefully I'll see you next weekend at the Brooklyn Flea!

Wilde Week #13

It's been a wild week for everyone, I'm glad the weekend has arrived.  Here are a few things that will hopefully make you smile and ease you into a low-stress weekend.

1. Cat comics!  Nothing is better than cat comics!  Makes me want a cat.  And not want a cat at the same time.

2. Crazy skirts!  Apparently Lucky magazine thinks I can wear a wicker lampshade as a skirt.  My only question, what if I want to sit down?

3. Disney Princesses in sloth form.  Go ahead and look, it's silly.

4. Green hair!  Do you think I can pull off this look at work?  I wonder how many people would come up to me and say "Your hair is green!"

5. Layer cakes.  So pretty.  This one is so simple too!  Bonus?  Sweetapolita is working on a baking cookbook!  So excited!

6. Spring has finally shown its face here in the Tri-state area.  As memories of winter fade away, I'm looking forward to walking through New York City in my cork wedges, sipping an iced tea.  Spring makes me smile.

7. Go ahead and watch all the episodes of Better off Ted.  It will take you all afternoon, but you'll enjoy laughing all afternoon long.  Tweet me with your favorite moment.  I have so many!

Wilde Week #11

1. It took me months, but I have finally finished reading The Thousand Autumns of Jacob De Zoet by David Mitchell. This book was recommended to me by a friend about six months ago. I downloaded it to my kindle and started it one morning train ride. The problem? This book takes forever to get going. According to my friend "It has a lot of pipes to lay." I'll say. The book was setting up the story and the interesting bits for over 50% of the book. Which, when the book set in 19th century Dutch- Japan, is a lot of pages to slog through. I finally finished this book (along with about ten others when I needed a break). It ended up being pretty good, it just took a long time getting there.

2. I can't wait to own a house because I want nothing more than to paint the walls. I want to see something other than white on the walls of my bedroom. Here's hoping to a new Wilde house within the year!

3. Having worked at and been a member of many gyms, I've seen most of these guys. Dude is right on.

4. I just finished my last long run before my half marathon next weekend. 12 miles through DC. What a great way to complete a long run, there was so much to look at and distract me from the miles. Have a long run to make? Take a new route!

5. Nails this week? Since I'm away this week, I decided to go with OPI nail stickers! They are quick to put on and don't chip as quickly as polish. The ones I'm wearing have little birds sitting in trees.

6. I'm in Washington, DC this week for a work conference! It's been a few years since I've been in our nations capitol and I've never been here during the cherry blossom festival. It's like NYC on a warm summer day around here, so many people! The blooms haven't opened yet, hopefully before I leave on Wednesday.  Rather than recipes this week, there may just be pretty pictures of cherry blossoms!

Have a great week!

Wilde Week #10

1. This week I have eaten a ridiculous amount of European-style butter.  I blame Milk bar.  Boyfriend and I went to a third baking class (technically class #2 - the crunch) in Brooklyn.  There we made more delicious cookies with a half pound of butter in them.  Then we took them home and I ate them for breakfast.  Cookies for breakfast is totally okay, especially cornflake-marshmallow-chocolate chip cookies.

2. BF and I emptied out our piggy bank this past week.  It weighed over thirty pounds!  Now someone won't let me take it to the coinstar because he likes looking at the jars of money. 

3. There was a Girls marathon on Sunday night.  I tried so hard to enjoy it.  It just didn't happen, maybe I'm too uncool.  Am I the only one who just doesn't get it?

4. I got new running shoes!  After spending time with a nice girl at Fleet Feet, I learned you should buy running shoes a half size larger than you usually wear.  Huh, who knew.  Now I'm going to be so much faster, can't wait.  Just wish they were in a more obnoxious color.

5. I totally kicked butt at my Crossfit workout this Thursday!  Finished first!  Mostly due to my awesome jump roping ability coupled with everyone else's inability to jump rope.  I jump rope like a rock star.

6. Ever have one of those weeks at work when nothing went right?  Yeah, that was my week.  Chemistry was plotting against me all week long.  I can't wait for next week, I have to redeem myself.

7. Easter is tomorrow!  What does that mean?  Easter candy is on sale on Monday!  Yeah half price Reese's peanut butter eggs.  It also means that everyone who gave up chocolate for Lent can stop being crazy and have some chocolate bunny!

8. For some reason my Crossfit gym is closed on Easter Sunday!  I had to sign up for the 7am class this morning.  Someone isn't happy about my alarm going off at 6:45 on a Saturday morning.  Okay, it's more than one person who isn't jazzed about getting up at that time.  Class better be awesome!

Wilde Week #9

1. Being a child of the nineties, there are so many things to miss! I really miss #23. Remember those tiny floaty bubbles in Orbitz? They were awesome.

2. I'm spending the weekend in Amherst, NY! It's not only my dads birthday, but I was invited to Perry's ice cream to be a taste tester! I brought my dad with me (As his birthday present. I'm cheap!) and I'm also enjoying all the foods that Western New York has to offer!

Izzy and Bella say hi!

Dad and I spent a few hours with Perry's ice cream taste testing the new flavors!

A quick stop at Watson's chocolates is always necessary!

Ted 's versus Theodore's?  Each local has their opinion.

Bella is ready for Easter!

3. Eight miles to run today, I hope it stops snowing!  I am ready for the cold weather with my new hat, but slogging eight miles over snow covered streets doesn't really appeal to me!  First week of springing Buffalo and three inches of snow fell yesterday. I met someone at the airport who was also flying to Buffalo. He asked how warm it would be this weekend and was surprised when I told him it would be just above freezing. But it's spring!  He said. I laughed and told him spring starts in Mayin Buffalo. The businessman across from us laughed. He knew. 

4. Let it be known BF took this weekend of me being away to go and visit his parents. In Florida. He keeps posting pics on facebook of sunny skies. I'm super jealous/hate him. 

5. I've got nothing else today, I'm so full of ice cream and hot dogs!  What do you like to pig out on when you visit your hometown?  I'm looking forward to a chicken finger sub this weekend! 

Wilde Week #8

1. Three books this week! Mostly because I neglected to tell you about my book of the week last week. They are all pretty quick reads, so load one onto your kindle and cozy up with a hot drink.

Book 1 - Culinary Reactions - The Everyday Chemistry of Cooking by Simon Quellen Field.  I was so disappointed in this book.  I got this book as a Christmas present and have been waiting to read it.  I thought it would be fun and interesting to learn the science behind cooking and baking.  Sadly, I'm not quite sure who this book was written for.  For someone with a PhD in organic chemistry, this book was a bit too simplistic.  For someone with no chemistry background, this book is too complex.

Book 2 - Bonjour 40 by Karen A. Chase.  Another blog turned book, but I really enjoyed this one.  It made me want to travel to Paris again, but stay for a month of my own.  I do this a lot with travel essays.  They give me wanderlust and I find myself looking at flights on kayak for the next week.

Book 3 - before i fall by Lauren Oliver.  Yes, I have a problem and I love reading teen lit.  Don't judge.  A story about a mean high school girl who dies in a car accident, but that's just chapter one.  Then the day happens again.  This book is probably a great read for any high school student to help them reflect on bullying and how they treat people around them.  Personally, it depressed me and made me not want to have kids that grow up into teenagers.  Great story though, I'd totally recommend it.

2. This Friday at work we had our annual Pub Quiz. Although due to new company rules, it was an alcohol free pub quiz, which I think is just called trivia. Nonetheless, I'm apparently stupid. No really, I thought I knew random things? Nope, I'm a big ole dummy. You want to know which question I got right? Name one president, other than Lincoln or Kennedy, that has been assassinated. McKinley. Boom, I know stuff. The other thirty-nine questions? Yeah, I'm gonna pass on those.

3. I should also confess that I regularly play trivia with BF... We spend most Friday nights out at dinner, playing Sporcle on the iPad. Want to waste a few hours of your life, testing your general knowledge of useless things? Go here, you'll totally be sucked in. Don't say I didn't warn you.  Still, this weekly trivia did not help me at work.
4. Marathon training continues around here. This week I was on my own an in the gym because 1. BF had major work this week and couldn't come with and 2. It's been cold out. So far this week I've run ten miles with my big six mile run coming up later today! I'm thinking I need to get some new running shoes. Hot pink ones, like this. I will look really fast in them.

5. Can you believe that next week is the season finale for Pretty Little Liars? I feel like it just started back up a few weeks ago! And there has been so much going on this season, I'm so glad that I'm not one of these girls. My high school life was comparably boring! Don't watch PLL? You should. It's silly and suspenseful and dramatic and I want to dress like these girls, even though I'm 31.

6. I think I'm obsessed with marshmallow treats. I made a batch last week with biscoff. This week I turned a box of Lucky Charms into squares. Now I'm thinking of taking these freeze-dried raspberries and mixing them with marshmallow and cereal. Help me! I have a marshmallow addiction!

7. Nail polish of the week? I'm a little boring this week. I'm sporting haymarket by nails inc. LONDON under a layer of beyond cozy sparkle polish by essie.  My nails are so sparkly!

8. Are you ready for St Patricks day?  If not, head here, here or here and get inspired!  I'm going to put on my green pants and maybe make some more Lucky Charms treats!

Wilde Week #7

1. MetroMint Water is my new favorite drink to bring to the gym.  When I try to describe it to people as water with a hint of mint, and chocolate, they think it sounds gross.  But it's not!  It's so refreshing.  The chocolate mint water doesn't really taste too much like chocolate, I swear it's not that strange.

2. My new favorite show is Funny or Dies - Billy on the Street.  While randoming flipping through channels (as men so often do), Boyfriend happened upon FUSE network and Billy Eichner.  Last week he ran around the streets of New York offering people prizes if they could guess their price.  If they guessed wrong, he smashed the prize on the ground.  Wonderful, crazy, fun.

3. Our new office dress code was recently put on the company portal and I decided to sit down and read through it, you know, to see if I'm blatantly ignoring it or not. Apparently the company is quashing all of my plans to be super cool at work. Here are some of the awesome things I'm not supposed to wear to the office...
- Leather pants (there go my dreams)
- spaghetti strap tops (although considering we all use space heaters year round in our office, I'm not too sad about this one)
- Sweatpants (feeling like not changing out of your pjs today? Too bad! Put on some real pants!)
- T-shirts with cartoon characters on the front (what about the back?)
- Work boots (it's a good thing I threw out my timberlands in the ninth grade)

So really, they seem pretty reasonable for a casual work environment, but seriously, no leather pants? Way to destroy my dreams work, way to go.

4. I ran a lot of columns this week at work.  All my fellow chemist friends will understand the pain and suffering involved in running columns.  Luckily I have a robot that runs them for me, but there is still a lot of rotovapping involved.

5. Apparently no one likes to go to the NJ Devils hockey games.  This was a bonus for BF because he was able to score two tickets for less money than we paid on parking and food.  That's right.  Two tickets for $30.  We weren't even in the top deck!  Personally I can do without all that hockey being played on the ice (though I am totally impressed with their ability to skate backwards), I attend sporting events for the food.  Specifially, the nachos.  Oh yeah, salty, cheesey and delicious. 

6. This necklace is totally adorable and it's on its way to my apartment as I type this! Hoot hoot!

7. And the Nail polish of the week?  "Baker Street" from nails inc, LONDON.  Or as I like to call it - TARDIS blue.  (I get almost all of my nail polishes at Sephora)

8. I'm loving these Lucky Charms treats.  I didn't get fancy marshmallow-laden cereal that often when I was little.  After I moved away from home, I was free to buy all the terrible cereal that I wanted and I wanted marshmallows shaped like stars!  Nothing could be better than coating the cereal in marshmallow and dunking them in white chocolate, yum.

Wilde Week #6

1. Boyfriend had to go out of town this week for a dinner and meeting. This left me all alone for one night. What did I choose to do? I went back to Brooklyn and made cookies at Momofuku! Then I proceeded to eat way too many of them. So glad I went, now I finally understand all the nuances in the Milk bar cookie recipe! I was doing it all wrong!  Stay tuned for some delicious cookie recipes in the near future. Coming to NYC anytime soon? Sign up to go to a class yourself! Great way to spend a weeknight!

2. Books of the week Crossed and Reached by Ally Condie. Yes, I finished both sequels to Matched this week. I told you they were quick reads. Perhaps it's because I'm reading a bit below my age bracket. Whatever, they were fun books. The second book, Crossed, was a bit slow at times and didn't always feel like it was part of the same story as the first. book. The final book, Reached, was fast paced, interesting and a good way I finish the series. There were a few things that I wish Condie would have explained (like where in the world was this supposed to be set? Which country fell?) but all in all this was a fun series to read. Going on a beach vacation? Bring these books.

3. Crossfit this week - It was benchmark week, which is something they do every few months to give you a sense of how you are improving. Now I know I can row 2000 meters in 9:02 minutes and that next time I have to crush that time! Last Sunday we did pull-ups and on Monday I realized that I haven't done pull-ups in like fifteen years. OUCH!  I could hardly raise my arms to wash my hair!

4. Is anyone else glad Community is back on tv? They teased us so long about when it was coming back and now we've got Halloween episodes airing near valentines day, Christmas episodes airing near Easter and a fear that there won't be another season! C'mon NBC, I just want to watch funny TV!  I just can't wait to see what Chang is up to now.

5. Nail color of the week?  Swiss Cottage from nails inc LONDON.  It's green from one angle and blue from another, very fun.

6. I'm so ready for summer now. I've been searching for a cute bra, that doesn't look like a bra, to wear with backless shirts. Victoria's Secret Pink to the rescue! They have tons of these pretty lace bralets that look just adorable peeking out from under a shirt. Can't wait for warmer days!

7. Our verizon fios box needed replacing a few weeks ago because someone couldn't watch HD hockey.  So they sent us a new one.  When we finally got around to hooking it up and sending the first one back, the second one once powered up had a loud, insessant and annoying squeak.  Grr, constant squeaking couldn't be put up with.  I sat online with customer support for an hour to confirm it was broken and they sent me a new one.  Guess what, this new one doesn't work either.  It refuses to comply with the remote controls commands.  It's like the 1800's in here and we have to change the channel with the buttons on the box!  This box is going back as soon as I can get someone at Verizon to talk to me in their online chat support.  Let's say I'm a little peeved, I just want to watch House Hunters.

Wilde Week #5

1. I think I have a problem - I'm addicted to Fairway markets.  If you aren't from the Tri-state area, you probably have no idea what I'm talking about.  If you live near one of these beautiful grocery stores, you totally understand.  If you live in Brooklyn, I feel for you and your Sandy-ravaged store.  (Worry not, it's opening back up on March 1st!).  If I ever need any strange, foreign or fancy ingredient, I know that I can go to Fairway and they will have exactly what I need.

On my most recent trip there I bought the following strange variety of items...
- Blueberry extract
- Biscoff Spread
- Adobo sauce
- Gummy bears
- Meyer lemons
- Tiny, fancy pears
- Dried Kiwi

2. The book of the week - "Matched" by Ally Condie.  Yeah, so I'm a total sucker for teen lit.  Matched is another girl living in a post-apocalyptic world.  Something changes her perspective and all of a sudden the rebellion is on.  Needless to say, I loved it and it only took three days to read.  I'm on to the second book.
3. Sometimes chemistry is super cool.  Take this compound that I made earlier this week.  I walked away from it for twenty minutes and when I came back it had transformed!  It turned from a yellow oil to a sparkly crystal!  Too neat.

4. What color are my nails this week?  They're teal of course!  ("Skinny Jeans" - Sephora by OPI)


I've had this on for a few days, so please ignore the chipped tips!



5. I love this and this and I'm totally doing it later this week.  The question is, weekday hourly photo or weekend hourly photo?  If I do it during the week, you'll get four different views of the commuter trains of NYC!  If I do it on the weekend you'll realize I'm totally boring and like to hang out at home, with a short side trip to Fairway...

6. My mom is super talented and crafty.  Three weeks ago I sent her a pinterest link with a quilt that I thought was pretty.  Within the hour she had asked what size quilt I wanted and had made her way to the quilting store.  Yesterday I received  a giant package in the mail from my mom and it was filled with this amazing quilt!  She's so good to me.

7. Have an iPhone?  Go grocery shopping?  You have to get this app.  Grocery IQ (see it down there, green icon, orange in the Q).  You can use it on all your iDevices and it will sync to each of them!  I like to make my grocery list on the couch with my iPad.  Then I bring my phone with me to the grocery store and shop!  Check check check and I'm done.  I like it that I can add things to my list whenever I think of them.

8. Crossfit continues!  Yesterday they kicked my butt with a power clean warm-up drill.  We went into the core workout in teams of three and performed a round of three exercises.  Pull-ups, power cleans and 200m runs.  As many rounds as your team could do in twenty minutes!  It helped that everyone cheers each other on during the workout, I felt so good after the workout.  Loving it.  Getting buff.

Wilde Week #4

1. Has anyone seen this necklace on sale anywhere??? It's adorable and I totally want the solar system around my neck.

2. Apparently I've been such a good Verizon fios customer that I get free HBO for three months. Now I can see what the bit deal is with Girls, Game of Thrones and whatever else is on HBO these days. Don't be concerned if you don't hear from me for a while, I'll be in front of my DVR.

3. If you missed watching the Bachelor this week, here is the best recap I've ever read.  Sums the show up perfectly.

4. I have spent nearly the entire week at work trying to separate to identical seeming chemical compound.  Along the way I have had to explain the difference between enantiomers, diastereomers and cis and trans isomers.  I've also had to remember how to decipher proton NMR spectra of six membered rings and spent hours looking at things like this...

My brain is really enjoying this weekend.

5. I'm totally enjoying the Restaurant Wars challenge this year, because it means BF and I have a scheduled dinner date every other week.  We don't even have to think about where to go!  Though I don't know if I can call our trip to Chipotle a date.  It was delicious at least!

6. Can you say Taxicab colored nails?  It's called "Need Sunglasses" which seems appropriate, they're really bright.

7. I have a newly found obsession with cheap jewelry.  (See #1 above)  Keep me away from Baublebar and Charming Charlies or I'll spend my all my money on sparkly plastic necklaces.  My eyes glaze over and I get all crazed and I run around the store filling my basket with every color of the rainbow. 

 

8. And finally, this weeks book - Born to Run by Christopher McDougall.  I'm not really a runner, but this book has been totally fascinating.  Did you know there are races out there that are over 100 miles long?  These ultramarathons truely test the participants endurance as they race through the day and night to just get to the finish line.  This book also touts barefoot running as a valid method for changing the way you run and solving certain health issues.  While I don't want to go out an run 50 miles anytime soon, this book has made me want to lace up my shoes and hit the hills!

Wilde Week #2

1. DSW is dangerous.  Especially when you are in the very near vicinity of one every single day.  You all know I commute through Penn Station.  Did you also know that they opened a three-floor DSW (that's designer shoe warehouse to the cave-dwelling people out there) right across the street.  It's awful, it's tempting and I must force myself to the NJT and not up the 34th street stairs.

2. 2013 is the year of the heel!  The high heel that is (this may go along with thing #1).  I have made a resolution to wear more high heels.  I think I'm making up for my seven years in sneakers in grad school/postdoc training.  Though as a 5'9" woman, wearing 3-inch heels makes the people at my work say "You're a tall today."  And when you wear these heels...

They call you a giant, and I love it.
3. I'm obsessed with all things kelly green.  See shoes above.  You'll find me this weekend searching for green jeans.  (Not to wear with above shoes, that would be over the top)

4. This weeks book - Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn.  I've read her other two books (Gone Girl and Dark Places) and was excited to read this last one.  A murder mystery with a kinda messed up female protagonist, I was done with this book in only two and a half days.  I wanted to find out who did it so bad that I avoided people at lunch so I could read at my desk.  My only complaint, it wrapped up really quickly.

5. No more 30 Rock!  I didn't start watching it until the third season, but with the magic of Netflix caught up.  This weeks series finale of the show was well done.  A little sappy, a lot of funny and a good wrap up for seven years on the air.  At least Community returns next week, finally.

6. Waffle sandwiches.  The best breakfast on the go ever.  Waffle-peanut butter-sliced banana-waffle.  This is what makes my morning commute bearable.  That and my kindle.

7. Rifftrax.  I miss the days of Saturday morning Mystery Science Theater 3000.  It was a simpler time of homework and nights out with friends.  Ahhh, high school.  Anyone else out there remember MST3K?