New, New, New

I hate highly dislike when bloggers don't blog forever and then they come back on the scene all "HEY, I'VE BEEN SUPER BUSY AND LIFE GOT IN THE WAY AND I WILL NOW WRITE EVERY SINGLE DAY."

Well, life didn't get in the way. Except that it did. I lost my job in the middle of last year and didn't find a new one until March 2010. A new job that I love. (Seriously. I'm not sucking up to anyone. None of my co-workers read this blog.)

Now, losing my job put me in a terrible, terrible place. I felt worthless and lost. Yeah, it was a really overdramatic reaction, but it was mine. It truly sucked. I'm much better now.

I also married my boyfriend, Cam. Yeah, he totally rocks. We had a wonderful, small wedding (as one guest put it, "the sweetest little wedding") and now I am trying to figure out life with him and his enormous house that I need to redo for my sanity and figure out my new(ish) job while continuing to do lots of extracurriculur activities. Phew!

So, the blog went on hiatus because I lost myself for a while. But now I'm BACK. This blog will be a little different than it was before because my husband (yeah, that is still so much fun to say) does not like me putting out too many personal details about our life. LIKE THE FACT THAT HE DOESN'T EVER MOVE THE CLOTHES FROM THE WASHER TO THE DRYER OR THE DRYER TO THE DRAWERS. There, I said it. I feel much better now.

A Different Bird will be more about Adventures in Atlanta and random crap I like. Because who doesn't want to read about that?

Love & Hate Tuesday

As inspired by Zandria.

Love: My boyfriend, Cam. I love Cam for many reasons, but one thing I especially love is his thoughtfulness. This past Saturday was my 'Champagne Birthday' and he made it incredibly special by planning the whole day. It began with some incredible presents (I'll have to 'show' y'all later), a lunch with my family and then a huge party at his house, where he did all the cleaning, cooking, set-up, etc.

Hate: Uncertainty. With economic times the way they are and with no end in sight (hi, no optimism about this today!), my financial situation is very stressful. While money isn't everything, the inadequacy I feel right now because of my lack of funds, and my inability to create any, is a burden I feel buried under.

Love: Lindt Lindor Truffles Stracciatella. Kole received some of these for her birthday in January and I couldn't get over how good they were.

Hate: Brussel sprouts. Seriously. Why would anyone eat them?!

Love: Living with one of my best friends and loving every minute of it. Everyone needs a Kole.

Hate: When people make fun of other people. While I have been guilty of this myself, it actually makes me feel sick when I listen to other people mock individuals. And some times what we hate the most, are things we hate about ourselves.

Me and my boss, my boss and me

I've decided that no picture or quote on earth will sum up me and my boss more than the following:



Pinky: Gee, Brain. What are we going to do tonight?
The Brain: The same thing we do every night, Pinky. Try to take over the world.

Guess who is which. Here's a hint. The first time I spoke to my boss on the phone he said, "Look for the best-looking short guy in the room."

Yeah, now back to taking over the world.

Broken, tired and hungry

OK. So the title is a little melodramatic, but it's Monday and so far: (i) the microwave broke - ah! no breakfast; (ii) there was only enough coffee left in the pot for a half a cup (I know this could easily be remedied but I decided to blog instead of fixing another pot); and (iii) there wasn't any of my creamer in the fridge.

Kole and I have the following sign next to the door as you leave our house.



I really need to do that today.

Warm, delicious memories

Today I had one of those emotional, scent-triggered memory moments that put such a smile on my face. I was pouring my daily cup of coffee and we must have switched grounds because today's coffee scent took me back to my first 'real' job out of college, when I was a press secretary for a US Senate candidate.

I was so nervous my first day on that job, because the day I began work was the same day I interviewed for the position! I sat in the interview, greener than a hybrid-driving hippy, and my soon-to-be-boss basically said, you're young, you seem like a hard worker, your resume looks good and I'm going to give you a chance. Can you start right now?

I was so happy and eager to take on the world at that moment. And my first job assignment? To make coffee. This was not officially on my job description, but because I was the newbie, and the youngest on the campaign at that time, it fell to me on that one day.

My new boss took me to our break room and I brewed the first pot of the day and I remember savoring the delicious smell of the coffee as it gurgled through the filter. After he took his first sip, my boss told me that everything was a little easier after a good cup of coffee in the morning and that I was in for a wild ride over the next 12 months.

And I now know how lucky I was to have had that interview, to have gotten that job and to have shared that first cup of coffee with an incredible mentor/boss and now, friend. So today, I stood just a little longer in my office's break room, savoring my daily cup of joe and thought about how much I've changed since I took that job five years ago, but how the aroma of coffee still gives me an excitement to take on the world. How's this for a cheesy Friday post?


Five years after this wonderful man gave a kid a chance. I should take him out for a cup of coffee.

More advantages?

So, in addition to being able to eat peanut butter M&Ms for lunch, another "advantage" of being an adult is staying out until 1 am on a weekday, right?

Yeah, tell that to my mushy brain this morning. Oi!

Fried Green Tomatoes

Have you ever seen the film, Fried Green Tomatoes? Well, I haven't. And believe me, last week I took some flack for it when I went on a business trip that involved a stop for dinner and shopping in Juliette, Georgia.


A shot of Juliette.

Yep. The same Juliette where the movie was filmed. And The Whistle Stop Cafe? Where they eat the fried green tomaotes? Yep. I ate there. They opened the cafe up for our group and had a special dinner prepared.


Me and my friend Sally in The Whistle Stop Cafe.

The whole town was wonderful. I highly recommend visiting for the shopping and for the delicious food at The Whistle Stop Cafe. And oh.my.goodness. The fried green tomatoes? They were AMAZING. Now all I have to do is see the film.

Happy Hump Day!

I have the best boss. No. Seriously.

For instance, today I have been silently craving Thai food all day. Silently, mind you. And just a moment ago my boss buzzed my office and told me to come into his office.

He said, and I quote, "You know what I am really craving today? Thai food. Does that sound good to you?"

I mean, how many bosses can read your mind?

**Check back sometime later this week for one of my 'infamous' restaurant reviews. We are trying a new place today!