You Say Tomato, I Say Thank You!

*Shudder* Macy's

Herald Square is the worst. I always thought Time Square was the worst, but I actually think Herald Square has it beat. I have no idea what the statistics are, but simply from personal experience, Herald Square may be the single most crowded area in Manhattan. First of all, there's Macy's (ewww). Don't ask me why people are attracted to that store, but apparently they are. Secondly, everybody and their mother works in Chelsea/Midtown West. I can't tell you the number of times I've run into somebody I know on the street in this hood (I actually like it when that happens, so no complaints there). And lastly but most importantly, the place is SUH-WARMING with tourists. 

Shit basically be like this, all day, er'ry day.

I need to make a PSA to all visitors of NYC: Attention! Midtown Manhattan is the absolute most boring, least fun part of NYC. Please do not waste your time walking around an area where there is literally nothing to do. The area's attractions are limited to tchotchke shops, severely mediocre and/or overpriced restaurants, and massive clothing chains found at every American mall.That's it. No need to visit.

"But it's special because it's in New York!". No, it's just got higher sales tax.

One thing that I do appreciate about this area is that Broadway plays host to a small green market every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday directly outside my office. Last Friday I was buying some plums and blueberries before work and fell into conversation with one of the market's vendors. As I was saying my goodbye, he gave me a free tomato! Yay! Nothing like the kindness of strangers and free vegetables to brighten your day :)

Science has shown that free tomatoes make you less ambivalent towards crowds. Although science has also shown that said free tomatoes increase the odds of you throwing them at crowds...

Photo credits: http://sportsnetny.tumblr.com

Alochol + Chocolate - Not just for Seducing Anymore

QUESTION: How do you get a group of random people (particularly women), all with varying backgrounds, ages, preferences, and tastes, who are forced to work with one another and who frequently and not-so-secretly trash talk each other, to forget their differences for an evening and act like they're be BFF4L?

ANSWER: By plying them with copious amounts of chocolate and alcohol, of course!

I've already booked this year's office holiday party at Willie Wonka's Chocolate Factory

As anyone who knows me personally is aware, I take food scarily seriously, especially when it comes to cocktails and dessert. "Mom, what's the point of blowing all of my savings on rent in NYC if I DON'T try out a new bakery/bar every day?? I'd actually be wasting my money more if I didn't go out!"

So regarding the combined worlds of chocolate and booze, I feel fairly confident that I know my way around a chocolate martini or two. Yes, yes, everybody's heard of the tourist death trap Max Brenner. Let's just say their chocolate martinis are about the only thing on that menu worth a trip to that overpriced mall-quality restaurant. I'm a huge addict of The Chocolate Room (so is Oprah!), but obviously nobody from a midtown office is going to show up at an après work happy hour hang out sesh out in Brooklyn. Much more conveniently located is of course Ayza; the food is tasty but the atmosphere is too claustrophobic and pretentious for my tastes. So where does that leave us?

Amirite, ladiez?!?

I recently became aware that a personal favorite chocolate shop/cafe now serves alcohol! Woohoo! This store is particularly near and dear to my heart - growing up in rural New Hampshire, my family was close friends with the owners of a fabulous little store called L.A. Burdick Chocolates. The business has since expanded outside of The Granite State and has additional locations in Boston, Cambridge, and NYC's Flatiron District! The atmosphere is quintessentially French, with a menu of Madeleines, chocolate croissants, and rich chocolate mousse cake, among other things. They also sell handmade chocolates and truffles, and are particularly known for their chocolate mice!

Très adorable!

I recently assembled a group of colleagues for a classy night of indulging at Burdick's. The evening resulted in a pleasant night had by all. Even my 60+ year old supervisor stayed out past 9 pm! I don't know about you, but that's what I call a party. I think it goes without saying that a round of chocolate martinis was ordered immediately. For all the choco-haters out there, don't worry, there are drinks for you too. They serve beer, okay?! (I'm talking to you Porkchop). In addition to my martini, I partook in the summer seasonal menu and ordered a rhubarb spritzer. Delicious. I need to go back asap! Please be jealous of the following two photos:

Spiked hot coco and coconut cake with homemade whipped cream :)

Sorry people, I was a total dodo and didn't take any more closeup shots of our beverages. Below is a group shot that I awkwardly cropped!

Left to right: chocolate martini, chocolate martini, water, rhubarb spritzer (clear with straw), water, and red thing (I totally don't remember what that was...but it was good!)

And to close this post as I often do, please enjoy something totally random and weird I found on the internet while composing this entry: a vintage postcard from the suffragettes movement. Note the luxurious snack of choice in the smoky woman cave while the poor husband is laboring away in the kitchen sans said snack.

Apparently bonding over chocolate is our version of male bonding over sports. And trash talking the opposite gender. Obvi.

Oh and this. Okay, ciao, ciao mes biches!

At least it's a better option that "stick an aspirin between your legs". I demand free chocolate in all sex education classrooms immediately!

Photo credits: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (original version, duh), http://www.popartuk.com

Feeling the Lurve

This past week I've really been feeling the love at the office! I have experienced, count 'em, three! instances of MG appreciation over the last couple of days. I guess people are finally starting to recognize my awesomeness and are treating me accordingly. Geesh, about time!

I have to make a confession. I have a mega crush on one of my company's lead inspectors. This coworker is a fifty-something year old guy with a rather colorful past. Let's just say he spent five years "on vacation" over at Rikers Island. We shall refer to him as Tony Montana. 

*Le sigh* I've always had a thing for bad boys

This guy truly has a heart of gold. I mean, one time he went to Katz's Delicatessen for lunch and brought me back the second half of his sandwich. Anyone with an once of sense knows it's a big effing deal to willingly share a Katz's pastrami on rye! Anyway, having seen my sorta flourish, sorta dying cactus garden, Tony brought me a new plant for my desk! Not only did he bring me a couple of bamboo stalks from his own garden, he brought a vase and decorative stones as well. Ugh, I just knew my bad boy had a softer side! And what a tasteful eye! 

Just like your struggling bamboo plant, I can nurse your heart back to health too, Tony! <3 

Like last Friday, today featured a pleasant surprise as well. I've mentioned before my coworker who works weekends as a professional baker (Seriously, visit her website! I'm not kidding, her stuff is so effing good, not to mention absolutely gorgeous! My future wedding cake will be made by this lady, no question!). Today I received quite the auspicious phone call at my desk asking if I' was going to be around this afternoon at 3 pm. I'm like, uhhh, yeah...? My coworker's response was a simple, "okay, bye!" followed by the sound of the dial tone. Well! This is what went down at 3 pm:

That would be a chocolate cake with layers of dulce de leche and peanut butter icing, topped with marshmallow meringue icing, chocolate chips, and mini marshmallows :)

Every once in a while she brings in goodies using left over batter and icing from other projects. As someone with a serious sugar addition and no sense of shame (don't laugh, addiction is a disease you guys), I am by far my office's most eager dessert-eater. I take my baked goods very seriously and do not give out the MG seal of approval easily. It therefore really says something when I say that I could never ask for a more awesome coworker :)

And last but not least, this morning I was pleasantly surprised to receive an email from one of our labs asking me to lunch. I've been officially asked out on a business lunch! Woohoo! The lab didn't ask my CEO or my office manager, or even my other coworker who uses them probably as often as I do. Serious VIP over here, and don't you forget it. Here's hoping it's not horribly awkward or whatever. Who am I kidding, I'll be there so of course it'll be painfully awkward! :)  

Awkward turtle

Photo credits: Scarface, http://thatplaceinmyhead.wordpress.com/

Keeping It Real

As I described in my very first post ever!, my job provides my conscience with an internal conflict. Generally speaking, most mold inspections are pointless, people simply do not know how to properly handle a leak situation. The media particularly creates an atmosphere of fear with its focus on the TOXIC BLACK MOLD OF DEATH or whatever. But then again, if people DID understand how to properly handle moisture problems, I'd be out of a job. Conundrum!
Normally real estate management firms foot the bill for my mold inspections, although recently my company's sales manager had unwillingly talked an individual apartment renter into an inspection despite her hesitation to pay for such an expensive service. 

I view my company's sales manager and Randall from Monsters Inc. as basically the same person - very sneaky and calculating. Beware!

Upon arrival at the job, the woman showed me the area in question. I was rather confused as to why I was commissioned to perform an inspection. There had been a one-time leak in the space two years prior, and no signs of water damage were visible. Suddenly the woman broke down in in front of me, explaining that she had recently had a death in the family and now was suddenly responsible for a million new things and didn't know what to do. She asked me point blank if a mold inspection was necessary. 

"Whatever, I'm getting cheese fries"

Like Regina George (hopefully not *too* much like her!), I too am not unfamiliar with mental meltdowns. There have been a handful of times where it's been hard for me to keep my shit together both while at the office and in the field. I felt a strong connection with this woman and had a lot of empathy for her situation. After informing her that a mold inspection did not appear to be necessary and sharing a few easy mold tips, the resident invited me to enjoy tea and cake in her apartment. Instead of performing a lame mold test, we spent a lovely afternoon together talking about the environmental field. :)  

I have never turned down an invitation to a good tea party!

Speaking of Alice in Wonderland and tea parties, I just realized that today is my un-birthday! Is it your un-birthday too?? Oh my gosh, no way! Well I wish us all a very merry un-birthday! :)

Photo credits: Monsters Inc., Alice in Wonderland, Mean Girls

Ring Around the Rosie

Spoiler alert: Harold's got a secret stash of chocolate

Paging all children of the nineties! Anybody remember that episode of Hey Arnold where they get stuck in the subway and the whole train goes ape shit crazy? Ever since viewing that episode, there's always been a subconscious fear in the back of my mind of getting trapped in the subway. Of course hold-ups are a constant annoyance of riding the NYC MTA, but recently I had one of my scariest train experiences. Traveling underground (and under water!) between Manhattan and Brooklyn on the D train, the train lurched HARD. Every standing person, including myself, legitimately fell down as if we were in some accidental game of Ring Around the Rosie. Ashes, ashes. And we all fall down! Most people audibly gasped, a few screamed, and more than one person made the sign of the Cross. I was quite shocked and proud of myself - as somebody who manages to cause more food/drink mishaps than a drunk three year old, I was able to hold onto and not spill my full iced coffee! Thank god this scary moment did not escalate further into something worthy of a Lifetime movie! We survived with no further incident. The end. Good story, I know. 

Pocket full of posies...

Photo credits: americaslibrary.gov, Hey Arnold

Don't Mind if I Do

I always am!

Growing up we're all (hopefully) taught not to talk to strangers, and that accepting food from them is absolutely out of the question. Life just isn't so in New York City. Regularly walking around any busy area at rush hour - Union Square, Madison Square Park, or Penn Station for example - will result in receiving some sort of free food product or other promotion at least once a week from one company or another. Among other things, I've personally received knock-off Ray Ban sunglasses from Pepsi, packets of Emergen-C, more bananas and granola bars than I can count from some church, and lipsticks from Cover Girl. Last summer Trojan caused quite a ruckus trying to give away free vibrators in the Flatiron. Today apparently Dove was giving out free cookies and cream chocolates. My coworker grabbed a huge pile of samples and so generously handed them out around the office. As any good chocoholic knows, Dove chocolates always come with some sort of unbearably cheesy "inspiration" inside the wrapper. Even though the messages are usually saccharinely sweet, I couldn't help but love the message inside my chocolate. If you can't read the picture above, it says, "Be the first to hit the dance floor". Way too perfect for the girl who constantly demonstrates Zumba moves in the office at 9 am. This Dove inspiration is now proudly taped to my cubicle wall. :)

Just saw The Great Gatsby (and before it hit theaters, yo!) and had to include a flapper dance pic

That's what I'm talking about

Photo credits: Green Park Inn

Party Animals

The past couple weeks I have gone out drinking expecting nothing out of the ordinary, just your average mix of hipsters, bros, hipster bros, basic boring-os, and a sprinkling of normal people, but have ended up finding myself boozing alongside the most bizarre company.

Last weekend I went to a bar called Lucky Dog in Williamsburg. I assumed "Lucky Dog" was just a name. You know, I don't go to The Slaughtered Lamb thinking that I will find myself surrounded by actual lamb carcasses or The Wolf and Deer expecting to see the circle of life unfold before my eyes. Lucky for all things cute in the world, Lucky Dog isn't all talk and really does live up to its name. I have no idea how this is legal, but apparently Lucky Dog is a pet friendly drinking establishment. If I'm not mistaken, I believe they also serve food there too... The place was packed full not only with people, but with man's best friend as well. I was so jealous of my companion, who just so happened to be sitting next to an obese pug.  The dog was swagged out in a stylish little sweater and sat on a bar stool with his paws on the counter like he owned the place. He was even served a free shot of beer! Having witnessed this scene, I can now die a happy person.

Did anybody card this animal? He doesn't look 21 to me. The things looks will get you, I guess!

 Continuing on this animal theme, yesterday I found myself at a small dive bar in the East Village called Manitoba's. I don't really understand why, but I guess somebody who was friends with the bar tenders was trying to raise funds for some charity, so the bar tenders were going around asking patrons if they'd like to purchase a button for two dollars. The guy next to me whips out A LIVE CRUSTACEAN OUT OF NOWHERE and tries to barter it for a button. Do not ask me where on his person the man kept the aquatic animal, because I still am not sure. Just my luck to get stuck next to the lobster instead of the pug!

This isn't quite what I saw crawling around the bar, but it's as close as it's going to get. I legitimately have no idea what to even google. 

I was a bit bitter that the bar didn't at least bust out Under the Sea. That would have made the slightly disturbing scene more tolerable.

Photo credits: http://www.bsos.umd.edu

Hot Dog Friday

Today a colleague of mine decided that it would be "Hot Dog Friday". To my own demise, I didn't read her email sent earlier this week regarding the no-occasion occasion. I had assumed Hot Dog Friday wouldn't be a big deal. I thought we'd have just straight up hot dogs for lunch, not a full blown party or anything. Wrong-o. People went all out with bringing in dishes. We had basically every kind of hot dog/burger combo imaginable - regular hot dogs, veggie dogs, spicy chicken sausages, burgers, veggie burgers, turkey burgers, soylent green burgers (kidding!). Burgers and dogs galore. And this is an office of roughly 15 people. Don't ask me how, but all meat and meat substitutes were consumed by the end of the day. When it comes to eating, we go hard.

Additionally, the sister of my Hot-Dog-Friday-inventor coworker is a professional baker (check her out!!  Fun Cakes & More). She's been temping at my company the past few weeks (unfortunately the cake biz gets slow this time of year). Anyway, so she brought in a SHITTON of baked goods for this shindig. And her stuff is no joke - you just can't not eat it. I've sampled her wares on several occasions and I can tell you that it's way too good to resist. 

As I type this, I feel pretty disgusting. I won't even tell you how much sugar I consumed today because I'm not in the mood for your virtual judgmental stare. But ugh, now I really need to go to a GOOP-inspired, anorexic rich bitch  "wellness retreat" or something. But hey, calories don't count on a holiday, amirite?! Happy Hot Dog Friday y'all!!

Tres leches cupcakes - gurlfren' is KNOWN for these babies

Passion fruit, raspberry, and dulce de leche cupcakes

Cake pops! And funky glasses that I was told were purchased specifically with yours truly in mind :)

Best part? Now my skull can do an outfit change!

Those old pink shutter glasses were *so* Kanye circa 2009

Photo credits: www.seriouseats.com, Crif Dogs 

Happy Super Bowl Sunday 'Merrrica!

May the only mold you encounter today be the blue cheese in your hot wing dressing!

Photo credits: Someecards

Neighborhood Watch: East Harlem

Last week I was scheduled to perform a mold inspection at a large building complex in East Harlem. Upon arrival, the management office called up a security guard to escort me to the sampling area. Below are three conversations discussed over the course of this inspection. Enjoy:

Security Guard: Hello, my name is [I forget...oops].

Mold Girl: Lovely to meet you! I am [my name].
We shake hands

SG: Wow, what a nice, strong handshake! 

MG: Haha, yeah, there's nothing worse than a limp handshake.

SG: Oh yes, I hate weak handshakes! Whenever somebody tries to give me a limp handshake, I just shoot the guy. Right then and there. Boom, just like that!

MG: ...Oh, wow. Ha, ha...

SG: Yeah, seriously! If I'm falling off a cliff and you have a weak handshake, I know you're not going to be able to save me! I weight 240 pounds easy, that ain't nothing to laugh at! I need to know you can hold on!

MG: Wow, yeah, I never thought of that...Good point!

And speaking of Obama...

I am doing the inspection and am writing down notes

SG: Oh you're left handed?

MG: Mmhmm, sure am! Are you?
SG: Oh yes. Lefties are the best!

MG: Yeah we're supposed to be more creative. And I believe four of the past five presidents were lefties too! ...Although unfortunately I think George Bush falls into that category...

SG: Ehh, there's a bad egg in every bunch. We'll just forget about him. So, Obama's a leftie!

MG: Yup and Bill Clinton.

SG: Awww yeah, Bill is a G. We should have a lefties party! You, me, Obama, and Billy C!

MG: Haha, great idea. Let's make Bill bring along his saxophone to really get the party started!

Left is Right!

As I finish up the inspection, we make our goodbyes...

I extend my hand for a handshake

SG: Oh no, you know how we do up in here! Let's hug it out!

SG opens his arms wide

MG: Uhhh, okay!

Epic hug ensues

In honor of Groundhog Day (happy Groundhog Day!), I will illustrate my hug with this scene from the 1993 classic movie. In this hug situation SG is Phil...

...And I'm Ned!

Despite my creepy description of this incident, the guy was actually very entertaining and funny (Mom, I swear he was totally harmless!) I enjoyed hanging out with him, I mean he kept things interesting to say the least. He even gave me a great recommendation for lunch - the local fish market with amazing $5 fried fish sandwiches. Who can say no to that? 

Major props to the Lenox Fish Market

Photo credits: sportstalkchicago.wordpress.com, The Simpsons, Groundhog Day 

PS, Here's another great awkward hug picture :)

Fashion + Eco-Friendly = Fabulous!

Hello all! I need to make a departure from the world of mold to share an exciting announcement for all the fashion lovers, business lovers, earth lovers, and plain ol' lovers out there! I am involved with a super fun sustainable business club that puts on fascinating events throughout the year. On THURSDAY JANUARY 17TH at 6:30 PM my club will be hosting a panel discussion called:

Sustainable Fashion: Timeless or Trendy?

(One guess as to who came up with that brilliant name)

The event will be a panel discussion followed by a boozy reception where you can network with the speakers, each other, and most importantly, me! The speakers are serious fashion VIPs. Trust me, you won't want to miss this (see list below). Additionally, up-and-coming eco-friendly designers will showcase their newest looks at the reception. You will find my fine self stuffing my face at the hors d'oeuvres table. The cost of this amazing experience is $25 for students(/poor young people) (let's just say a student ID is not required... ;) of course being an upright citizen I would never suggest that any of you lie... because I obviously would never even dream of paying the student price myself...) and you must register online ahead of time. Do that NOW by clicking HERE. The event will take place on the 23rd floor of Rockefeller Plaza. 

Speakers include:  

MODERATOR

• Christa Dowling, Global Cultural Advisor and Journalist, Author, Former Editor-in -Chief, Conde Nast/Vogue, Germany (whaaattttt, yeah we got Vogue involved. NBD, we're just that good)

PANELISTS

• Yael Aflalo, Founder and CEO, Reformation (designs from repurposed fabrics) (umm, hello super sexi lingerie) www.thereformation.com

• Sass Brown, Acting Assistant Dean School of Art and Design, FIT, Author (a super smart professor from one of the country's best fashion schools? check!)  www.ecofashiontalk.com

• Raz Godelnik, Adjunct Professor at CUNY, the New School, and University of Delaware;  Founder, Hemper Jeans, an eco-fashion jeans company using hemp (another smarty pants designer!) www.hemperjeans.com

• Gretchen Jones, Eco-Fashion Designer; Project Runway Season 8 Winner  (Project Runway winner?? Enough said!) www.gretchenjonesnyc.com

• Catherine Tyc, Filmmaker  (working on sustainable fashion documentary)  (who wants to see this with me opening night??) http://swapthemovie.wordpress.com/

EXCLUSIVE RECEPTION EXTRA:

Fashion Alley: an exciting showcase of up and coming sustainable brands

Our illustratious panel of eco fashion innovators will discuss fashion’s negative environmental impact and new sustainable approaches to materials, production, recycling and toxic waste.

Gain insight into the challenges of designing eco- fashion and promoting it to mainstream fashionistas. How do you convince designers, manufacturers, retailers and consumers that eco-friendly fashion can also be chic and trendy?

CHECK IT OUT CHECK IT OUT CHECK IT OUT!!!!!!

Neighborhood Watch: Prospect Lefferts Gardens

Try saying that three times fast! Besides having an awkward name, the neighborhood of Prospect Lefferts Gardens is located in Brooklyn, near the southeast corner of Prospect Park. According to Wikipedia, the first settlers (you know, other than the Native Americans) were a Dutch family that arrived in 1660. Wow, fun fact! Thanks Mold Girl! You're welcome. In our modern times, the neighborhood is largely populated by people of Caribbean heritage. Not far from my job site was a local treasure, a Caribbean bake shop known as Allan's Bakery. 

Hey Allan's!

My colleague Porkchop and I obviously had to go in. You can't visit a new neighborhood without sampling the local bakery. Or at least I can't. My mother would slap me for even thinking about skipping such a crucial "learning" opportunity. I asked the guy at the counter for suggestions and ended up getting fried cod with sauteed onions, a coconut roll, a current roll, and a large slice of bread pudding. All of it was fabulous. And cost only $8.75. C'est incroyable! Porkchop  purchased the same buns and fish, as well as a beef patty and banana soda. Shockingly the soda was pretty good--made in Trinidad without high fructose corn syrup. That means it's healthy, right?

0% real banana. Just the way I like it!

I swear I didn't eat all of it in one sitting...just most of it. There's a difference! 

Moral of this story: If you are ever in the Prospect Lefferts Gardens neighborhood, you now know where to fulfill all of your baked goods needs. So go, otherwise my mother will slap you!

Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous

Mold is a completely unregulated field. A real estate owner/firm is almost never legally required to conduct a mold test. You may be wondering, "then why do you have a job?". Truth be told, nobody ever wants to hire me. The way in which I get work is this: a leak occurs in an apartment. The resident freaks out and harasses their management firm about mold. Initially management ignores the resident. After the complaining continues, the management firm caves in to the resident's demands. Management finally calls me when all parties involved are angry, bitter, and convinced that the other needs to be institutionalized. 

Because of the way this works, the more money you pay in rent, the faster a management company is willing to bow down to your demands. While I perform mold investigations in all kinds of neighborhoods, I visit the upper-middle class, and even the One Percent, much more frequently than I travel to those living in, shall we say, less savory areas. 

How to determine that you're in a building occupied by the One Percent:

1. They make you ride in a service elevator. Because, you know, they're too important to share a small enclosed place with the common folk. Sometimes there's even a separate entrance for service calls. 

2. You are required to wear booties on your feet. Can't have my dirty self mucking up the place!

3. They have a staff. Not just a full-time cleaning lady, but an entire staff. There's always a cleaning lady, a nanny/cook (sometimes that's even split up between two people), and a random dude. I have absolutely no idea what Random Dude does, but he's always just around. 

Hot damn! Now that's what I call sexy!

Now's time for the story of one of my most awesomely ostentatious house calls. 

I was called to do a mold inspection in the bathroom of a Park Avenue apartment. When I arrive, I rode the service elevator, strapped on some booties, and was shown the bathroom by Random Dude. He indicated a dark spot in the corner of the bathtub sitting in a small pool of water. He mentioned that the resident had noticed the spot before and had the cleaning lady scrub the area with bleach, but the spot soon reappeared. I was like, uh yeah, duh. Standing water accumulates in this corner. My professional recommendation: wipe down the corner with a paper towel after every shower. Problem solved. Silliest job ever. 

As I was talking with Random Dude, I listed off the usual mold prevention advice including maintaining a low humidity. Random Dude then mentioned that legally they are required to run dehumidifiers "for the paintings". Seeing the confused look on my face, Random Dude gave me a tour of the apartment. Paintings covered pretty much all available wall space of every room (and this was definitely not a cozy apartment). I was shown around only two or three rooms, but in that space I recognized three Monets, three Picassos, two Renoirs, a Degas, and a portrait of Christopher Columbus. These were the paintings I recognized. There were about twenty other paintings in which I did not know the artist. The apartment absolutely blew my mind. It was like walking around the Met all by myself!

In fourteen hundred ninety-two, Columbus sailed the ocean blue. ...And then had his portrait painted, because, you know, he "discovered" America and was a total bamf.

After leaving the apartment feeling slightly depressed that I can't even afford to pay the admissions price to most museums, I came across a newly opened doughnut bakery called BAKED. It was giving away free samples of their non-fried treats (doughnuts that aren't fried are healthy, right?!). I quickly made the owner my bestie and sampled all six flavors. Yeah, I'm that person, no shame! This was the perfect tonic to my momentary depression. And I went back the next week to buy these babies:

Doughnuts = best anti-depressant ever!

Photo credits: http://www.steam-brite.com, Sebastiano del Piombo