Props to Nat

Props are given when props are due and it's definitely something that I don't do enough when it comes to my partner in crime. He's completely adjusted to living with an apparently OCD (I'm just discovering this whether you've known it all along or not) individual who loves a non-cluttered house, bad reality tv, celebrity gossip, wine by the cases and food that is not healthy for you to say the least. He's been great and that's an understatement.

Having said that, I decided to throw a true test at him the other day: Decorative towels. My mom got me/us this awesome set of towels for Christmas with the letter "M" embroidered on them. I promise you, it wasn't until THIS Christmas present that I even realized that both of our last names started with the same initial and that IF we were to plunge into the union they call marriage, my initials wouldn't even change. So yeah, I thought it was cool that I can hang towels with an "M" on it and it applies to both of us!

One night when he wasn't' home, I decided to hang these decorative towels. I knew going in that educating Nat on the correct protocol for using, or rather NOT using, decorative towels would be a challenge. I even went into it thinking that I would probably fail and not really, truly caring if he ever grasps the non-usage of decorative towels because really, who understands decorative towels. So he comes home and I gently broach the topic. I take him into the bathroom and show him my new display. He loves it of course...what the hell else is he going to say.

Then I go into my whole spill about the "new" place for his towel. We explore the rack on the back of the door and he says cool. That's that. No questions about not using them or the idiocy behind displaying towels in the most convenient place in the bathroom that you're not even allowed to use. Nothing. At this point, I'm waiting for the towel display wreckage to occur. Each day passes by and with each shower, comes Nat's towel being hung on the back of the door. Not a single wrinkle, crinkle, lump, etc. shows up in the decorative towels. Now I realize that this might seem like a small step, but for a girl who knew she was living with a very boy-ish boy and for a boy who had one suitcase to his name moving into this place, trust me, it's a very big step. I love him so much for so many big things that I wanted to make sure to recognize the small, simple things too! And for those of you wondering, a picture of the grand decorative towel display...

Pizza by the slice

It hit me the other day as I was rushing to meet Nat at Ikea to pick up a couple things, I have never in my life ate as much pizza by the slice as I do in New York! I ran into our local joint to grab a slice, got it to-go, paid my $2.25 and was on my way to the Subway. I get on the train and start partaking in the goodness of a huge piece of cheese pizza by the slice. This must be a New York thing.

Where I'm from, I only, and I mean ONLY, got pizza by the slice when we were at the mall and there was a Sabarro's in the food court. And don't get me wrong, it was an awesome treat then. Being able to purchase a slice of pizza that was the equivalent of 3 slices from Domino's and twice as greasy...who doesn't love that!

I finally came to a conclusion the other day. Pizza by the slice is the northeastern equivalent of fast food in the South! It's EVERYWHERE here. It's your go-to, on the run, cheap lunch or dinner. Each could, and at some point probably has, given someone a heart attack. I'm guessing that neither one has a single bit of nutritional value and both taste amazing. They even have a dollar menu version of pizza by the slice...it's a $0.99 stand and you have to scout them out when you're in the city.

Germ Guardian to the rescue!

So it's been too long. Let's get that out of the way. Now onto the amazingness that I would like to call "Germ Guardian" (it's what is printed on the front)!

Below is a picture of our new best friend. Since about the time that I made the move here, I have been an extremely itchy girl. And I don't just mean a casual patch of dry skin. I mean, full-on, my entire body itches and NO amount of the most deep moisturizing lotion can heal it. I literally got to the point where I was putting lotion on my entire body 3 times a day and after showers and nothing was helping. I would wake up in the middle of the night itching myself like a crazy person. Now a person who is from the northeast or who has lived here for an extended time (other than my boyfriend who is oblivious to this kind of knowledge), would automatically tell you that it's dry skin. A person who is from the south where humidity is a curse and not a blessing, would first assume otherwise. I went through my mental check list:

1. Haven't changed detergents - CHECK

2. Haven't changed soap - CHECK

3. Not using a crazy new lotion - CHECK

4. Maybe my clothes were dusty from the move, so I decided to wash my most frequently worn - CHECK

5. Cleaned the house to rid it of anything potentially harmful to my skin -CHECK

So at this point, I'm beginning to develop a rash on my chest and back. I assume it's from some crazy product or medicine that I've introduced into my life. Now there's probably half of you that would have immediately came to the dry skin conclusion and another half of you that would have taken my steps. You don't have to reveal where you stand. So now that I have the rash to deal with, I start talking about it to some of our NY pals. This is when the discovery is made.

Drumroll please...it's because of the steam heat and its drying effects on your skin. Ok, so new agenda. I set a pot of water in the bedroom to add moisture. Bam. Not a week later, the pot is dry. Ok, so this is working. We're now getting ready for the holidays and I figure that things will drastically improve once I am in the great, humid state of Tennessee. As expected, they do. This startling revelation led us to the point we're at now. We needed a humidifier. Yes, my southern friends who strive at every turn to rid themselves of the horrible thing we call humidity. We have now used our hard earned money to pump humidity INTO our home!! Last night was the first night with it. It's portable, so it's basically finding a home in whatever room I'm in. It also has a "soft glow" for night time use and a really calming sound. I LOVE IT! I'M ADDICTED! And I thought it would be a great post to kick off the new year and the posting drought. Lots more to come!