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Motivated by Food

Although I don't have cable, I have still managed to watch a handful of new (to me) TV shows, such as The Wire, Freaks and Geeks, The Office, Extras, The (British) Office, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, and last but certainly not least, Veronica Mars (thanks Laurie!).

Most recently, and much to my boyfriend's dismay, I started watching 30 Rock (he wants to watch this show with me and is disappointed that I rented it without him). Although I don't think this is the best comedy on TV today (sorry Emmys, that award goes to It's Always Sunny), it is a very good show and I'm glad I started watching it.

In particular, I really like Tina Fey's character, Liz Lemon. In an episode from the first season, she comes to the realization that the reason she likes her boyfriend so much is because he is always feeding her (for example, when she comes home from a long day at work he asks if she wants a cheesesteak).

Oftentimes I feel like I can really relate to Liz Lemon. Like Liz Lemon, I am motivated by food. Unlike her, I like my boyfriend for more than his ability to feed me - in fact I stay with him despite his ability to do just that (no offense jeff - I love you, but your culinary skills are limited to crepes, pancakes and frozen pizza, and besides the occasional pretzel and freeze-dried ice cream, your apartment is devoid of food).

The Million Calorie Smoothie

People always say that breakfast is the most important meal of the day and I couldn't agree more. I love breakfast. It is what gives me the motivation to wake up every morning. In fact, sometimes I get SO excited about breakfast, I will wake up early and eat a pre-breakfast (currently 60 calorie blackberry sherbert pop from whole foods).

So when I was told by my hairstylist a month ago that Marathon Grill has the best smoothies in the world, I had to try them. Since I moved to the city, drinking a smoothie and listening to NPR on the ride to work has replaced my morning ritual of eating cereal and reading the newspaper (as I no longer get a newspaper or have a table to read it at). Discovering that there is a Marathon Grill only two blocks away and that their smoothie selection includes a cookies n' cream flavor made with nonfat vanilla yogurt (guilt-free and delicious!) only made me want it more.

Of course wanting something and actually making an effort to get it are two different things. I usually park in the opposite direction of Marathon Grill and therefore don't have time to go there AND be at work on time.

Yesterday however, I decided to throw caution to the wind and get a smoothie. Sure, I got up late, had to get gas, and would probably be a bit late for work but I decided a smoothie would be worth it. So I trucked over to Marathon, asked for a cookies n' cream smoothie only to find out they HAD NO YOGURT! But they could make it with vanilla ice cream. I couldn't resist. I said okay, but to make it a bit healthier (in my mind), I opted for the raspberry truffle chocolate smoothie and decided I'd only drink half.

Problem was, the smoothie was SO GOOD. Maybe it was the ice cream, maybe it was the magic of Marathon Grill. Whatever it was, I ended up slurping up 80% of this fruity, chocolate syrupy, ice creamy concoction before I even got to my car.

So even though my pants may feel tighter today, it was well worth it. I will definitely be making another trip back soon. I just hope this time they have non-fat yogurt because I don't want to be forced to buy new pants.

The Troll Den

So something else you may be wondering is - "What is the deal with this blog name? Does this girl have an obsession with trolls?"

The answer is no. I do not have an obsession with trolls. In fact, I have a habit of spelling the word "troll" wrong (I used to spell "trool" - which is why my blog name is such a risky choice). And although I used to like trolls when I was a kid, I haven't thought about these big-eared creatures since I was 8.

Until I moved into a Troll Den.

I refer to the style of house (or fraction of a house) I live in as a Troll Den.* It's not a basement even though it is dark and partially underground. Nor is it a dungeon even though it has a gate since I can escape if I so choose. Therefore, I call it a Troll Den.

I moved into my Troll Den a little over a year ago. Since I own this den, I have spent much time thinking about ways to improve it. Sometimes I actually do these things (like paint the walls and redo the floors), but mostly I just think about them.

Although I am not entirely sure what I will be writing about in this blog, I predict a lot of posts will revolve around my Troll Den and how I spend my time inside and outside of it. I might even write about ideas and inspiration for decorating my Troll Den. Another reason I gave my blog this name was that it has dual meanings. On a very deep and symbolic level, Inside the Troll's Den = inside my head.

So to sum it all up - I'm not obsessed with trolls, my blog name refers to the type of house I live in, and is also an analogy for what is going on in my brain.

*To my boyfriend's credit, he has played a major role in coming up with the term "Troll Den" (in the sense that he's the one who came up with it).

My First Real Post - Why Write a Blog?

Greetings! This post is coming to you from outside the troll's den (as most of my posts will seeing as I don't have wireless Internet).

So first of all, let me introduce myself. My name is Megan, I'm 24 years old and I live on the outskirts of the Gayborhood in Philadelphia, PA. I had wanted to write a blog for awhile but due to my inherent lack of motivation, it took over a year to get around to it.

Why do I want to write a blog you're wondering? Well, mostly because everybody and their cats are doing it and I want to be in the loop. There are a few other reasons though....

1.) To serve as a dumping ground for my thoughts. I have all these thoughts in my head (crazy I know) and I always think "hmm, I should write this down." But alas, I never do. Plus, like so many 24-year-olds, I have not yet answered the all-important question of "what to do with the rest of my life?" (a question I realize, is not meant to be answered at the tender age of 24) Don't get me wrong, I like my job - a lot in fact - but am I going to do it for the next 40 years? Probably not. And even if that were the case, it never hurts to explore my interests outside of the cubicle.

2.) As a way to communicate with the outside world. Awhile back when Xanga was in its heyday and I was a freshman in college, my friends and I all had Xangas. It was a nice way to keep in touch since we were at different schools. While an entertaining story about an obsession over french onion soup or slipping on a banana peel (both me) would make it onto Xanga (and maybe even get an eprop or two), these stories usually didn't make the cut while catching up over Thanksgiving break. So for all of you curious about what is going on with my life, now you have a chance to know more than the cliff notes version!