But it was good....

Today my co-worker and I ate at The Highlander. I first learned about it on an episode of Diners, Drive-ins and Dives. The episode had a segment about the jerk chili they served at the Highlander. It looked delish and I added it our list of restaurants to try out.

When we got there it was pouring down raining and there weren't many patrons. I guess it was due to the weather since on the show, the place was packed. OK, this place really is a dive and not my style but I'll try it out.

I shared an appetizer of Kari- Kari (fried pot stickers with cream cheese and crab meat) with my co-worker and they were delicious. For my meal, I decided to try the Chicken Philly with a cup of the jerk chili on the side. The chili was off the chain good. It was a symphony of flavor with a good kick of spice and a hint of sweetness. I actually preferred the chili to the Chicken Philly. Once I had my fill of everything, I had the remaining items packaged to go.

I returned to work and continued about my day. Around 3p.m. I began to feel sick. I spent the next 6 hours extremely ill. I am not sure what caused it but needless to say, I promptly threw my left overs away. After speaking with my co-worker, she was not feeling well either. We believe it was the Kari-Kari but to be on the safe side I don't see myself going there again. Hopefully, my next meal won't take me through the ringer.

Course 1 - CHECK!!

I completed Wilton's Cake Decoration Course I. Over the course of the past 4 weeks, I learned some of the basic cake decorating techniques and really questioned my skills. I've accepted the fact that my mother has been doing this for nearly 40 years. I have a lot of catching up to do in the skill department but I think I will get there with a little practice.

Here is a picture of my attempts at the Wilton rose. I think I did OK and my co-workers loved the finish product. I've decided to complete the rest of the classes and will begin Course II in two weeks.

You Ate Where?

A part of my journey is to venture out and try new things. To assist me in my goal to try new restaurants, my team members have agreed to try new restaurants with me. We will visit resturants on a bi-weekly basis and I will update the blog with a review.

Red Fish Creole

On March 6th, we dined at Red Fish Creole Bistro. After attending college at Dillard University in New Orleans I became a fan of Cajun & Creole cuisine. I loved Red Fish and believe it will become a new spot for me.

I had the shrimp creole and it was divine. It was truly a symphony of flavor. There was a sweet and spicy flavor. Unfortunately, I did not bring my camera for picture. I'll be sure to bring it on my next visit.

Doc Chey's Noodle Bowl

On March 13th, my team members and I visited Doc Chey's Noodle Bowl for lunch. Despite the small size of the restaurant, I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. The staff was quick and efficient and the food was delish and low cost.

I had the spicy szechuan and it was quite tasty. If I return I'll request they go easy on the water chestnuts and bean sprouts.

My first GTG

First let me say I am an introvert with extrovert tendencies. I normally stay within my comfort zone unless I have to get out of it. At work, I joined Toastmasters to pull me out of my 9-5 shell. To become more sociable in my private life, I decided to attend my first Brown and Bridal get together.

For those of you not familiar, Brown and Bridal (BAB) is an online community of African American women who are at various stages of relationships. A majority of the members are planning wedding hence the bridal piece of the name. Although, I am no longer planning a wedding I enjoy the community that has developed there. Women from around the world log on to share in each other lives and provide a network of support. Each month, members residing in the same city, gather together to get to know each other from behind the computer screen. I decided to finally attend one.

It was held on March 21st at Murphy's Restaurant located in the Virginia Highlands area of Atlanta. I must say, I truly enjoyed myself and getting to meet some of the other wonderful ladies who grace BAB. I look forward to attend another GTG in the future.

Class Projects

Week 2
Here is my first attempt at cake decorating. For some reason my butterflies look like rabbits.












Week 3
We created clowns. The picture is a little blurry but I think I got it.

Do I have the Skills?

When I was growing up my mother baked the best cakes. In our town she was known as the cake lady. Birthday? Wedding? Just because celebration? Chances are if you are from Selma, AL you have tasted Mrs Bernice's wedding cake or famous red velvet cake.

When I was a child, I remember watching her decorate cakes. She would skillfully create roses out of icing. Trying to be like my mother I would pick up her supplies and with vain attempt to create one. Fast forward 25+ years and I decide to finally try it again. On 3/3/09 I began the Wilton Cake Decorating Course I. Of course, my mother is happy that I taking this on. I am equally excited since I have been wanting to do this for sometime now and just never got around to it. I'll post pictures of my class projects. This should be interesting. :-)

Welcome!

One day at a time

Imagine if you will a meeting room. It is filled with people with a mutual purpose. The participants are chatting amongst themselves. The leader moves to the front of the room, a hush falls upon it as he calls the meeting to order. He goes about the agenda’s order of business. It is now time for him to invite new visitors to stand and introduce themselves. With embarrassment, I stand to address the crowd of strangers. With a meek voice I announce…..my name is Nika and I am a procrastinator. Wow! It feels as if a weight has been lifted from my shoulders, I’ve confessed to a group of complete strangers something I secretly dealt with for years. Now of course this scenario is completely fictitious. There is a procrastinator anonymous community online that I’ve been meaning to check out but haven’t done so yet, hence my problem.

I don’t know about you but I’ve had bouts of procrastination over the years. Don’t get me wrong when there is something of importance that I have to do or are interested in doing I will go ahead and get it done. Other things…not so much.

During college when tasked with an assignment such as a paper, I would normally wait until the last minute because I had convinced myself I was waiting on my muse of inspiration. This method worked for me for quite a while and since I always got good grades it didn’t bother me too much.

It wasn’t until recently that I realized that it wasn’t really the muse of inspiration that I was waiting on but rather I was just giving in to procrastination. Ok, let’s take Toastmasters for example. I have had a couple of scheduling snafus on my way to reach my compentent communicator goal but most of the delay was my giving into procrastination. I would wait to the last minute and not feel comfortable with the level of attention I gave the speech and cancel.

To help me with my journey away from procrastination I have decided to embark on the day zero project. The purpose of the project is to challenge and inspire you to set and complete realistic goals in life.

It's simple over the span of 1001 days I will complete 101 predefined tasks. My journey started Feb 21st and will complete Nov 19, 2011.

For more information you can go to the day zero project website and join me on my journey from procrastination one day at a time.

Be sure to check back often as I will update the blog with my accomplishments from my list.

Thanks for stopping by,

Nika