in review: thai, pie, books and movies

well it seems like i have a few things share with y'all! in the past week, i have seen a couple of movies, finished a book and am halfway through another and tried out two (new-to-me) places in knoxville!

• movie: American Hustle: honestly, i walked out of the theater completely unaffected by the movie. for one thing, it was terribly long and i have a hard time sitting still. but regardless of the time, i felt like it left something to be desired. don't get me wrong, the all-star cast was great. because of the buzz surrounding it, i felt like i was supposed to rave about it afterwards. however, it was a movie that i was glad when the credits rolled on the screen. 
• movie: Last Vegas: better than American Hustle that's for sure. while it was funny at times, it was a bit predictable but a good renter nonetheless. i think that the older crowd might find it funnier than my generation but it still had some good laughs here and there. 
• book: Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter: not sure why it was on so many bestseller lists. the plot jumped around from different characters and time periods which could occasionally be confusing. while everything connected at the end, there was still something missing from the book as a whole. 
• restaurant: Taste of Thai: hands down the best thai food i have had in knoxville. i ordered the pad thai with veggies and it was beyond good. the portions are huge and i brought more than half of it home. erin and ellie both got drunken noodles with chicken and it looked quite tasty as well. i will definitely be returning there to get my thai food fix in knoxville! 
• bakery: Buttermilk Sky Pie Shop: i have been dying to try this little pie shop and couldn't resist the temptation after supper tonight. i got granny's apple pie, erin got classic pecan and ellie got chocolate meringue. my mini-pie was one of the best things i have tasted in a long time and was sad to see it gone. the mini-pies are the perfect individual portions, but they also have whole pies available to buy, as well as thumbprint cookies, homemade buttermilk biscuits and ice cream! it is going to be a dangerous place for me, and worth every calorie!  

its Super Bowl sunday (and groundhog day but that's getting a little overshadowed this year)! what team am i cheering for? peyton. the team of peyton manning. we tennesseans loved him in '98 and we love him just as much, if not more, today. i will be watching the Super Bowl (aka the commercials) at my apartment tonight while partially studying (4 tests in 7 days). i made a big pot of taco soup and a batch of jalepeno cornbread that my cousin erin and best friend ellie are going to munch on during the game! 

the groundhog saw his shadow this morning, which means six more weeks of winter. my fingers are crossed in hopes that he is wrong and that spring is right around the corner. the spring collections that are appearing in stores have me dreaming of warmer weather! i have a busy week ahead and i am sure you do too so i will keep this short and sweet. happy groundhog day and Super Bowl sunday! go broncos!

xoxo,
clp