Monday, December 31, 2012

resolute

my resolutions for 2013 are fairly simple:

exercise 5 days a week
drink 5 glasses of water a day
save as planned to my grad school fund
be positive AND spread positivity
work hard
experience every day fully

Thursday, September 20, 2012

currently...

enamored of retro, satin, high waist briefs. I dunno.

enjoying being a newlywed.

pretending i'm a lady who lunches (or at least gets her hair done and then shops in a leisurely manner at 11 on Thursday)

reading any magazine i can get my little hands on

being kind of generally and immensely happy

what're you up to?

Monday, July 30, 2012

hotness of olympic proportions

Hi, I haven't posted in like 2 months! sorry.

anyway, coming to you today to share some olympic hotness.

Horia Tecau

This guy is a Romanian tennis player. A doubles specialist. He's 25. He lost Wimbledon the last 3 years and that must suck. But he won the Australian Open in Mixed Doubles. So yay. Its a shame he's not a Men's Singles specialist, because I would watch many many matches between him and this guy:

This is Novak Djokovic. You all know him. He's the guy who keeps beating Rafa and Roger. I dislike that, but hey, tennis moves on. He's adorable. He's Serbian. He's 25. He wins a lot of things.


This is Jake Dalton, and he is pretty much insanely hot. And a gymnast, bonus. He's 5'6", and that is plenty. He was born when I was in 9th grade, which is concerning. That makes him 20.

And finally, yeah, we all know this goof-ball, Ryan Lochte. Real good-type swimmer. He came close to quoting Goonies directly with all that "it's my time" nonsense. He's 27. I still like Michael Phelps better.

So, there's some very attractive Olympians. This makes watching even MORE FUN.


Thursday, June 14, 2012

i'm strange, aren't we all

you wanna know something quite unusual about me, a 34-year-old, modern, American female? I'm not self-critical, pretty much AT ALL. I don't berate myself about how much I weigh (I do think about it), I don't think I'm not good/smart/pretty enough. I have confidence. It doesn't actually occur to me that I can't do things.  I don't beat myself up about really anything (should I? Maybe I need to a bit more, haha. Maybe that is where that whole temperance/self control thing comes from). I've always been impulsive, and maybe that has much to do with it.  Where did it come from? No idea! I'm guessing my parents did some good parenting!

I'm not trying to be a braggy jerk here, it's actually something I find interesting and a bit perplexing about my  personality. 

What I do think about though, what I would love to know, is how others see me.  Wouldn't everyone like to step outside and check themselves out for a minute? Good thing noone ever can, cause who knows what it would do to the world!

The other day a coworker said to me - she's just like you, she just knows stuff. Haha. That made me laugh. That made me smile, and wonder, just for a minute, hey, am I some kind of smarty pants know it all loudmouth person?

Probably. And that's okay too =)

Monday, June 04, 2012

most loved

like all of us, I have some things I gravitate toward in fashion, damn the trends.

here's my top 5 most loved:


1. White T shirt

 I love this one by Vince...
 but this one by Hanes will do in a pinch.















2. JEANS
Well, you say, duh. Of course.

But I have specific jeans needs. These jeans, these specific two kinds and colors, are my go to. (Don't stop making them plz).

Citizens of Humanity Dita Petite

 Hudson Bootcut Petite

But, Jessica's J Brands are kind of "the dream jean". I can't find them for sale anywhere... sad face.


3. Paisley Things. 

I have a mad jones for paisley. J Crew seems to understand this. I have a preference for actual vintage items in this category, but hey, we shall take what we can get. J. Crew's silk paisley button down offerings are everything I could ever hope for.

 I love this one so much I seriously have it in 2 sizes, so I can wear it as I lose weight.
I have this one too. I love it a lot too. But not as much.

This one strikes my fancy too. It's Joie.


This too. Hello. From Anthropologie





4. Tan/Camel Leather Accessories. (no dark brown, never dark brown)

I'm not sure I've met many camel leather accessories I don't like. A sampling:




5. This particular t-shirt

I have approximately 15 of this t-shirt, in various styles and states of wear. I don't love much American Apparel does, but I love this. (oh hey, I see AA has given up the pretense and just has nakey ladies on their site now. Thanks a lot, AA)














out with the old, in with the new June

Oof, I have been remiss about my goal making /posting duties. Skipped May altogether, it seems. Well, that's ok. On to June! 

Soo, April goals:

In with the new:
I took an overnight trip to Charlottesville last night as part of a campaign to desensitize myself to my anxiety around travel.  I actually had a really nice time, and I think I'll try and make shorter trips like this once  a month. I'll start out with trips around VA/MD, and then the next big hurdle is taking a train or plane somewhere further away. Next up is Richmond, I think.
Nope. Nope-ity-nope-nope. This is a tough one for me. I know, in theory, that I need to do this, to chip away at my anxiety. But let's be honest - I don't actually want to go to Richmond for the night, nor spend the money.
But, BUT! I do need to do this, tis important. I do enjoy 1) staying in hotels. 2) exploring different places. 
And, more important, I do like to get on a plane and visit California, or other only plane-reachable (okay, or super long car ride) places. 
What I did with that last trip was go on Friday night - and that was good, because I came back early Saturday morning and didn't feel like my weekend was gone. So yes, this is what I will do. 
Richmond, in June. Loverly.
 
Out with the old:
I'm going to repeat last month's goals, because they are still really important to me. I have a proper budget now, with savings goals, and I'd like to direct some of that clothes money to savings. I'd also prefer to spend my money on some furniture I'd like rather than clothes. I think I'm pretty well set for spring clothes right now. 
 
Smoking - still planning on quitting May 2. On the road to that goal. 
I have been spending less on clothes (this is all relative), but more on home fluffing goodness - decorating, gardening, etc. type things. So this is good. But, I still have been spending too much. I need to spend on my savings. Its that simple. Build. Up. Savings. I've set myself some smaller targets on Mint.com so I can feel all accomplished and what not. The bigger long term savings goals can get depressing when you see how far left you have to go.

I so did not quit smoking. I completely hate smoking at this point, but its still a habit. I am a cold turkey kind of quitter, and I JUST NEED TO STOP.  I have been smoking for far too long and it is lame.


OKAY! JUNE GOALS!


Besides the aforementioned trip and the whole smoking, please don't, thing, I've got some other goals:


1) Sort out basement storage. We've got a lot of inherited furniture, most of Fred's stuff, some of my stuff, and 5 bazillion magazines in our basement. Along with car parts, oh so many. 


The car parts, they ain't going nowhere fast, but I can sort out the rest and make it much more manageable. The car parts will slowly be reduced as they are put on the actual car(s).

I'd like to do this because we basically aren't using this part of the house, also, its an eyesore.

2)  Hit the next 5 lb mark in my weight loss progress. I'm soo tantalizingly close. 


So that's that. Maybe the lifting and heaving and swearing involved in part 1 will help me achieve part 2 =)



Wednesday, May 30, 2012

dual roles

so, I want to talk about something a little more real-life today, and that is the roles of a man & woman in a relationship.

I think about this a lot, and often times I think, gosh, i wish I had a traditional wife, haha. You know, neither Fred nor I play traditional roles in our relationship. It works for us. But sometimes, I wish I had a 1950s typical June Cleaver house wife. To clean, to iron my clothes, to make dinner.

Because, here's the thing. I value my relationship with Fred immensely, and we are partners. I don't worry about him providing for me, though he does, in many ways. I don't worry about giving up a part of myself to take care of him, although I do (take care of him, not give up).

But I do get frustrated sometimes, because in some ways, I play the roles of husband and wife. In other ways, he does, and I want to recognize that. But, I both bring home and cook the bacon (not real bacon, we're vegetarians). I clean. I decorate. I cook, every night. And I make twice as much money.

Is this okay? Of course it is. He contributes significantly to the bills and to the household. He takes the trash out (something I have zero interest in doing). He can fix the car when its broken.

Does me being the main bread-winner cause problems? Mostly, you'd have to ask him. He's never expressed to me that that makes him upset, or uncomfortable, and I haven't pushed him. It certainly doesn't make me uncomfortable.  I don't work harder then him, I just work differently, and I'm at a different place in my career. No big deal.

I do struggle with traditional "husband" type worries, such as losing my job and not being able to provide for my little family. If we were to have children, I couldn't be the one to stay home with them (not something we are planning on though).

I do sometimes think about how easy I make it. I buy all the groceries, I cook all the food, I clean, I work on the garden. I spend a lot of time and money on making our life good. What else is money for, after all, than building a stable and satisfying life? I have no idea.  I'm not bitter about all this - should I be? I don't know. The only thing that makes me steaming mad is the rare times he'll leave a mess in something I just cleaned - which honestly happens so infrequently it doesn't register. Yes, his bathroom is probably a horrendous mess right now - but I can't see it, I don't use it - I DO care - but I refuse to nag someone to clean. I really hate it. Sure, i will stomp around BEING VERY ANGRY, but I won't nag. I won't ask twice. I will just be pissed. Is this healthy? I'm guessing no.

That brings me to - once in a while, I feel like I am the mom. I don't have any desire to be a mother to my grown-ass husband. But have I created that situation myself?

I don't think I would be very good at being dependent on another person. It's not a part of me, its not in my blood. My ability to be independent is pretty much the most important thing to me. I take care of others. Its kind of what I do. It brings me joy.

Who else out there understands what I'm talking about?

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

ridicule

i didn't take a picture of my outfit today, but it was a point of discussion with Fred this morning. When I came downstairs in my outfit, he said, umm, I don't know about those. Those are..a lot. Haha. I told him, hey, they make a full suit of it, imagine that! He said perhaps I should stay in my office today, haha.

I told him I'd see how much ridicule I received in the office today - so far, none, although I haven't seen my boss yet. Ridicule is his fav.

So, you are probably curious, what IS she wearing? its not even that adventurous! Here's what I've got on..

j crew tippi in navy, ikat linen slacks from Loft, Faye wedges from Loft.

Honestly, I'm not so easily scared off =)


Friday, May 25, 2012

friday and thoughts

happy friday! happy memorial day! I think memorial day is my favorite of all holidays.

big project to tackle this weekend - curtains! I need curtains for my bedroom, and I want to change out the ones in the living room and kitchen area. I've been doing a lot of curtain shopping online, and a lot of fabric shopping, and I've found that it wouldn't be that much cheaper to make them. I think if I could find some fabric at the thrift store, that would be ideal, but I have a very specific picture in mind, and I haven't had any luck yet.

I'm also going to make another wrap skirt, much like this one, here:

This one is from Free People vintage, and I love it, but there is no need to pay $200+ for something I can sew. So there.

The clothes I love best are those I can imagine my mother wearing in about 1978 to 1982. In my head I am always shooting for this particular aesthetic. What can I say, it stayed with me. She had a wrap skirt or five and a really good story about toddlers untying it in the grocery store with her hands full.

What are your thoughts on purple and yellow together? I have a slight negative reaction in theory, possibly because they were our rival high school colors. But in practice, I think I quite like the idea.

See, like this and this:






I think this works, but I could just be on a lot of crack. I see it with a camel belt and heels. Thoughts?










Anyway, have an amazing holiday weekend! ENJOY!

Monday, May 21, 2012

outfit 05.21.12

wow, its been a long time since I've posted an outfit. Here's what I've got on today:


Sorry for the blur. Today I have on:

Blouse: Blythe blouse, J Crew
Pants: City Capri in Wool, J Crew
Belt: Talbots
Shoes: Banana Republic
Rings: Tiffany and Mall kiosk
Bracelets: Tiffany and Anthropologie

Also, it's humid and my hair knows it!


Tuesday, May 15, 2012

vintage cannes



from nymag today - I just love this! 

commentary: Michelle Williams looks a lot like Jean Seaberg, and its not just the hair.

Tuesday, May 08, 2012

2012 met gala

i was perusing the pictures from the 2012 met gala on nymag.com this morning. All in all, there are some extremely attractive people in some extraordinarily gorgeous clothes. Here are some that stood out to me:

Carey Mulligan in Prada. Her styling has a lot to do with why I love this.

Jessica Biel in  Prada. Justin is a lovely accessory. I aspire to her hair (bangs! bangs?)

(fairly certain the above two beauties are sporting the same kicks)

Quinn here is wearing a gorgeous Carolina Herrera. 

And unfortunately, a couple of choices that make my eyes bleed. Mostly due to overexposure.

Ohhh B. We can see your ass. In Givenchy haute couture by Riccardo Tisci.

Oh Anja. WTF is this unholy mess? Fire your stylist. Tip your waxer. In Anthony Vaccarello (who maybe should be put out of his misery?)



Friday, May 04, 2012

no. 34

I'm back to the computer after a nice little 3 day break, which included Wednesday, May 2nd, which happens to be my birthday!

This time around, I'm 34 years old. 34 is a good age, I think. This is a really nice time of life. I'm comfortable with myself, my surroundings, my circumstance. I'm happy. I have a good life. I'm doing exciting things like getting ready to buy a house (I know, what took me so long?).

I don't feel old - and why would I? I feel pretty much...ideal. Satisfied. Happy.

Thursday, April 26, 2012

fleurs

I saw big beautiful bunches of ranunculus for sale at the Whole Foods yesterday, and I think they are my new favorite. So beautiful. I was especially drawn to the solid peach bouquets.


I mentioned to Fred when I came in the door yesterday - "I go to the grocery store pretty much every day, don't I?" He said, "its quite European of us and I like it" =) Haha. I told him I liked it as well, but I do not like what Whole Foods does to the wallet.

Can we get a little more European around here, and maybe have a fresh market that I can go to daily? You know, for a nice piece of fish, some fresh veggies, and maybe a bunch of flowers? What's that? I live in the suburbs and that's what Whole Foods is for? Right, right.

Well, the local farmers markets should open up this weekend at least - yay!

Monday, April 23, 2012

wonderwoman

This morning when getting dressed, I picked out a red bra and royal blue underwear. I didn't mean to, but I sort of chose lace Underoos. I had to stand in the mirror and make the Wonder Woman pose. It was awesome.

Just in case you were curious...you see what I mean?





Wacoal Bra, Retro Chic Full Figure Underwire Bra

Hanky Panky in Sapphire

Thursday, April 19, 2012

it runs in the family



















This is my dad and my cousin Sylvia on the left (his brother Bill's daughter). Me on the right, of course. I really do look exactly like my dad, don't I? As they said when I was born, just slap a mustache on her, and you've got twins =)

Though men age so much more gracefully then women do (so unfair), I think this bodes well for me at 60+, no?


Wednesday, April 18, 2012

side by side























these pictures are taken about 11 months apart. 11 months that include P90X, P90X2, vegetarianism. beside the fact that those are the same pants. besides the fact that the lighting is different, my hair is different. I'm trying to decide if I look smaller! In reality, there is about a 5-7 lb difference in there. it looks like there could be some inches lost round there. I dunno. My view, it is skewed.

also, the bed looks super inviting. naptime?

outfit 04.18.2012

J Crew, you keep making paisley silk shirts, I'll keep buying them. Forever.


Cardigan: J Crew
Shirt: J Crew
Pants: Victorias Secret
Belt: Talbots
Shoes: Manolo Blahnik
Bracelets: Anthro & Ralph Lauren
Rings: Tiffany and Mall Kiosk

Monday, April 16, 2012

zzz...wow.

have you tried Zuzana's ZWOW workouts?

ZWOW Workouts

I came across workout #12 via Fitnessista, and I gave it a try this morning - ummm, WOW indeed.

Workout #12 is 10 minutes (so innocent! 10 minutes only!)

You do:
10 pistols
20 lowjacks
10 burbees
20 lowjacks.

Repeat as many times as you can in 10 minutes.

Ya'll, I did 2 rounds. TWO. blah. lame. And my pistols didn't exactly get that low.

But then I felt better, because Zuzana only did 3. And she is in ah-mazing shape.

So I'm going to work my way through the first 11 of these workouts - and then there will be more! Awesome.

From what I can tell / have heard, these are really CrossFit type workouts. And we've all heard how hard core CrossFit is. There was a CrossFit gym next to my old apartment in Arlington, and before I knew what it was, I would often remark on the people running in and out of the door and around the block toting kettle bells. What ARE they DOING! they are getting in crazy shape, that's what.

I now have a HUGE arsenal of workouts, so I have the variety I crave. It is good.

update

Hi! Happy Monday! It's HOT outside =) Yay.

So, I've been following a Paleo diet for 12 days now - thought it was time for an update.

I've gotten into the habit of  making myself lunch every day - well, breakfast lunch and snacks, actually. For breakfast, I make:

1 apple, with Justin's almond butter and raisins
1 big-ass decaf coffee
Coconut milk hazelnut creamer (love!)

I also take to work with me:
A bit of dark chocolate - chips or a square or two
Grapes
2 scrambled eggs - or - a bit of leftovers from the night before.

This is PLENTY to get me through work, but if I get hungry (alternatively meaning bored or stressed), I have a cup of tea from Aveda which is pretty much the most delicious ever, and I'm good.

I also drink a lot of ice water.

So, that - that is actually the easy part! The hard part is dinner.

Lately, I've been doing : Fish of some sort + veggies. This works, but fish every night? Nah. So, I've gotten a little creative, and a little bit lenient on the soy.

Some things I've made for dinner:
Crab cakes (made with coconut flour)
Stuffed Zucchini (this stuff is amazing, uses soy crumbles though)
Salmon with homemade onion rings
Ratatouille
Lazy man's dinner -veggie burgs without the bun

So - i feel good, I would love a piece of bread but it's not like I run into delicious fresh baked bread every day and that is the only kind that would break my resolve, and no weight loss yet but none gained either.

I think the biggest hurdle is - I want some texture! Some bread-like texture! I tried to make coconut bread, and it was disgusting. Coconut flour, it is gritty. It is no bueno, except in small amounts. Coconut bread = not good. I could see coconut muffins working, perhaps.

Thursday, April 12, 2012

dream come true?

So I was just reading Kaelah's Things I Love Thursday post where she links to this idea of a Dream Mall, here. The basic premise is to invent a mall that has 100% stores you like.

So, I got to thinking. This dream mall is going to need:

Anthropologie
J Crew
Apple Store
Sephora
Lush
Nordstrom
Mary Green
Lululemon

Yeah, that'll do.

So, then I got to thinking..this pretty much already exists.

I work next door to a mall, Fair Oaks. They have a J Crew, Apple, and Sephora.

A couple miles down the road (I mean, less than 10) there is an Anthropologie, a J Crew, Apple, Sephora, Lush, Nordstrom, and Lulu. Actually, its two malls, Tysons 1 and 2, and the Anthro and J Crew are in one, while the rest is in the other.

They are building a new shopping area town center thing less than 1 mile from my house, and it has an Anthropologie, and a Target.

In fact, I will soon have 4 Anthropologies (Anthropologi?) within 15 miles of my home. And the market demands this? I guess?

Mary Green is in San Francisco. But I have the internet.

And, after all, isn't the internet everybody's dream mall?

I can no longer be impressed by shopping, sorry. Even you, New York, although I'll take your Top Shop and your that one Canadian store that I forget the name of.  Joe Fresh, that's the ticket.

Maybe I'll start a business where I video tape shopping for folks that live too far away from these stores, and then I'll ship them stuff and they can send back what they don't want - pretty much personal shopper with video on demand. Genius, I tell ya.

P.S. - also Barnes & Noble.
also Whole Foods
also Starbucks
also bagels.
and maybe Club Monaco.

p.p.s - also Zara.

P.P.P.S - distances to these from current location:

<1 mile
<1 mile
<1 mile
I'm sure there are closer but the best are <5 miles
about 13 miles
same same.

an embarrassment of riches, I tell ya.

Thursday, April 05, 2012

food food food for thought..

Last night for dinner, I made salmon stuffed with feta and spinach, and a yummy salad to go with. Unfortunately, I burned the ever-lovin crap out of myself while taking the pan out of the oven, so spent the majority of last night with an ice-packed paper towel taped around my hand. And later, for sleeping time, I rested my hand on a package of frozen broccoli. Maybe I should get some of those there ice pack things.

Anyway - while I was in major pain, the salmon was still frakin delicious.  And..paleo friendly (well, the feta was not. meh).

So, emboldened, today, I packed myself a super paleo work lunch bag. I packed:

an apple sliced up, with Justin's natural almond butter + raisins
grapes
2 eggs, scrambled
a handful of dark choc chips
a salad, with cucumbers, and cherry tomatoes.
some sweet potato and beet chips.

I've eaten the apples, grapes, and eggs. Dudes, I'm still full, its almost 3.

Sweet.

I did not go to Starbucks this morning, either. The barristas may send out a search party for me, as they are very used to seeing me on the daily.

Wednesday, April 04, 2012

paleo for veggies?

I'm toying with the idea of going on a Paleo diet for a month - it seems to make sense, but here's the rub..

1) I don't eat meat (i eat fish)
2) I don't like nuts (they give me tummy issues)
3) Soy is not a part of the Paleo diet.

So ummm, yeahhh..
Here's what I could eat: Fish, eggs, veggies, fruit, sweet potatos. I mean, that's keeping it REAL simple, but you get the idea.

Is it worth cutting out unhealthy carbs  and sugars? Yes, yes it probably is.

Are a lot of the meals I cook already Paleo?  Yes, yes they are.

I think I will give it a go. Here's what I see as my main obstacles:

1) Coffee. I put soy and sugar in my coffee.
2) Work food. I get my food for the day when I get my coffee - A protein plate from Starbucks, sometimes a little piece of dark chocolate. The protein plate, contrary to its name, has a piece of muesli bread.
3) Fred. Fred likes carbs with dinner.
4) Bread. I effing love a piece of sourdough dipped in olive oil/pepper/rosemary.

So, here's how I'll tackle these:
1) Coffee. Sigh. Umm, I'll switch to tea for a week and see if I hate life.
2) Work food. Some mornings I make an egg and bring that to work with some fruit. I'll just do that everyday for breakfast. Lunch? Ummm. hmmm. tuna salad? what else, what else. Leftovers from dinner. Shrimp salad. Salad of many kinds. Lots of salad. Veggies, fruit.
3) Fred. I'll make Fred some carbs, I just won't eat any unhealthy type carbs myself. Also, sweet potato fries!
4) Bread. I just won't eat the damn bread.

It's so easy to get an idea like this in your head and then say, meh, screw it. I so don't want to do that! Wish me luck!

Tuesday, April 03, 2012

Saturday, March 31, 2012

out with the old...April

goodness, time to set some monthly goals! first, here's a look at last month..

March Time!

In with the new:
I am going to re-introduce running into my fitness routine. I used to run, I did the Couch to 5K program, and the first time I ran 3 miles I thought I might die, but I was also prouder of myself than I'd ever been. And, running makes you skinny. I swear, it does. I don't know why its different than any other form of exercise, but it is. So, there you go. I like it, makes you skinny, we got a winner.

I'm going to use Couch to 5K again, and until it is consistently warm in the mornings, I will probably mix running with my workout vids, P90X2, etc. But the goal is 3 days / week.
 
I did this, um, a little. I did run a few times, not as much as I would have liked. Other workout wise, I've found myself really focusing on the yoga workouts from P90X and P90X2, as well as Jillian Michael's yoga workouts, plus Ballet Beautiful. I'm into stretching and strength right now. 
 
Running though, it is good. So, no plans on taking that off the table. 

Out with the old:

Shopping hiatus, again. Also, over this month, I'm going to do my best to cut back my smoking to 3 cigs a day - morning/noon/night. I'd say I smoke about 8-10 a day now.  This week I will cut back to 5, and then 3 the following week for the next 3 weeks. This is in preparation for quitting before my 34th birthday (May 2nd). 
 
Yeah, I failed the shit out of both of these. Whoops.
 
ON TO APRIL!
 
In with the new:
I took an overnight trip to Charlottesville last night as part of a campaign to desensitize myself to my anxiety around travel.  I actually had a really nice time, and I think I'll try and make shorter trips like this once  a month. I'll start out with trips around VA/MD, and then the next big hurdle is taking a train or plane somewhere further away. Next up is Richmond, I think.
 
Out with the old:
I'm going to repeat last month's goals, because they are still really important to me. I have a proper budget now, with savings goals, and I'd like to direct some of that clothes money to savings. I'd also prefer to spend my money on some furniture I'd like rather than clothes. I think I'm pretty well set for spring clothes right now. 
 
Smoking - still planning on quitting May 2. On the road to that goal. 

Friday, March 30, 2012

ombre and stuff

so, I've gone and ombre'd. by the way, love Amanda at Red Door at Fairfax Corner, she rocks.

I freaking love it.


here's another one =)


Friday, March 23, 2012

burning down the house?

I'm a little concerned about myself. A good handful of times over the last two weeks, I've left the oven or burners on.

Then...last night, I was watching the Louisville basketball game, and towards the end, I put some biscuits in the oven for today's breakfast.  Now, granted, this was an important game, it being the tourney and all, and them playing a 1 seed and all, and it was exciting. But they were 10+ points up for most of the final few minutes. It was not a nail biter in the way it could have been.

So, when the game was over, I switched to Up All Night, and then thought, meh, I'm tired, and I need to wash my hair tonight. So I went upstairs, and did just that.

Later, when I was out of the bath, and doing my moisturizing routine, Fred comes into the bedroom, and from behind the bathroom door, I hear mumble mumble burn the house down mumble. I said, What? He says: the biscuits.

Oh shit! Yeah, they weren't black or anything, but they weren't good either.

Maybe I'm distracted because of this ongoing work thing? Its almost over, thank goodness! I'm the last to leave in the mornings so I'm worried about the burners, the curling iron, all of it! Can't wait to get my brain back to normal.

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Q&A



If you had a choice between a year in Europe, all expenses paid plus a $2000/month stipend, or ten minutes on the moon, which would you choose and why?

Oh definitely Europe. Imagine all the things one could explore! Plus, I’m not sure space travel is on my list of things I could handle.

Are you more worried about doing things right, or doing the right things?

Doing the right things.

If you were someone else, would you be friends with you? Why or why not?

Yes, of course I would be friends with me. I’m a good, loyal, caring, friend. I’m also a bit of a homebody, so we would do lots of low key hanging out. 

Have you ever read a book that totally changed your perspective or beliefs? What book was it if so?

I think everything I’ve ever read has become a part of me, and in some way shape or form informed my beliefs and perspective. But no, there is not one book that stands out.

What would you do differently if you knew no one was judging you?

I actually live pretty strictly according to my own rules without considering outside judgment. I know, but really, I'm thinking about it, and its true.

At long last, someone invents "the dream VCR." This machine allows you to tape an entire evening's worth of your own dreams and watch them. However, the inventor of the dream VCR will only allow you to use this device of you agree to a strange caveat: When you watch your dreams, you must do so with your family and your closest friends in the same room. They get to watch your dreams along with you. And if you don't agree to this, you can't use the dream VCR. Would you still do this?

Hmm. I just don’t know. I can’t control which dreams I have, and yeah, some of them can get a little racy.

If you could only watch one television show for the rest of your life (all seasons, all episodes) what would it be?

I was going to say Sex and the City. But for my whole life, I might need something with a little more variety to it. I’m thinking, as silly as this sounds, a soap opera. Like Days of our Lives. It’s fairly horrible, true, but there is so much material.

If you could acquire any talent in the world instantly, without actually working at it, what would it be?

I’d love to be able to really really sing. Adele style.

If you could live anywhere, where would it be?

If I can take my family, I think we’d go West Coast. San Francisco. Portland. Seattle. Pacific Northwest in general. Vancouver perhaps – but ooh, cold. Austin? 

If they have to stay here in the DC area, I'd probably move out to the country (i'm assuming that being able to live anywhere means I can still have my job without the commute being an issue)

What celebrity would you most like to have dinner with?

Tough. Drew Barrymore. Bob Dylan (although with Bob, I think I’d be petrified of not being cool enough)
               
What are your top five favorite songs?

Do you know how hard this is!?!

             Hallelujah, Jeff Buckley
             I Want You (She’s So Heavy), The Beatles
             Rock n Roll Suicide, David Bowie
             I Got the Blues, the Rolling Stones
             Quicksand, the Dinosaur Jr. version

What is one of your worst habits?
Smoking.

If you had to pick one kind of breakfast cereal to have for the rest of your life, forgoing all others, which would you choose?
Rice Chex

What is your favorite holiday?
Memorial Day. That overjoyed feeling that it IS SUMMER.

What color ARE your underwear, miss?
Multicolored, today, thanks

You're having pizza for your next meal. What are the toppings?
Pesto, Mozzarella, Zucchini, Yellow Squash, Red Pepper

Monday, March 19, 2012

i'm not cool

I learned a new thing today.

Beck.


Van Morrison covering Bob Dylan.

I can dig it.

a different kind of consumerism

have you noticed that everything is on sale, always?

I mean, just today, I've got in my inbox a $50 off a $100 purchase at Ann Taylor, a super mega stock up sale from Old Navy. Banana Republic pretty much offers at least 30% off every day. J Crew is not good about normal sales, but they will knock another 30% off their clearance with damn near daily frequency.

So, um, yeah. That whole, oh my goodness, that is such a good deal I better buy that now 'cause I won't have the chance at this price? That whole concept is gone. Except our instincts have not adjusted, therefore we still have the impulse, therefore marketers are evil geniuses.

I think its getting to be a bit much. Diminishing returns are in effect. I no longer go, oh my, better buy now, I go..meh. There will be more and potentially better stuff on sale later - or you know, maybe I don't need stuff and when a time comes when I do I'll just buy it. Novel concept, I KNOW.


on being a vegetarian asshole

you know what I mean, right? Those vegetarian/vegan assholes, who like to remind everyone about the flesh they are consuming? I don't want to be one of those people.

But ya'll, it's really hard.

Here's the thing - I ate meat for my whole life until about 6 months ago. I loved steak. A good steak..I mean, it is a delicious thing. But one day, I stopped eating meat. I don't miss it. I can't imagine eating it again. I eat fish and eggs and cheese, so I'm actually a pesca-ova-lacto-vegetarian, I suppose?  The fish thing is borderline. I get seriously pukey if I have to de-skin a piece of fish, and I could not bring myself to eat a lobster tail at Christmas dinner. But crab cakes? Okay.

This is so...this is weird, right? It's not like I'm newly introduced to vegetarianism, my sister went veg at like 12 and full vegan in college. This is not a new idea to me.

So, back to being an asshole. I really really really hate the meat producing industry. All of it. Its despicable. If I ever ate meat again, which is really not likely, I'd only eat locally raised humanely raised and killed meat. But dude, I can't. Just typing that, I can't. I can't eat something that will interact with me and that someone had to kill. At least a fish won't like, lick my hand or something if I try to feed it.

So, yeah, here I am, and I'm having a hard time not being judgy and stuff - not to anyone personally, no, just to the societal norms that make it okay for the system to exist as it does. I suppose this is normal new vegetarian progress, yes? I certainly remember my sister going through it.

It just seems really insane that I had such a monumental change of habit. I mean, I'm happy with it, I'm proud of it, it makes me think about what else I can change if I just try - or not try, I guess. I don't think I'm better than anyone, really. I think I'm being responsible about my contribution to the world, or rather, what I take from the world for my own consumption.  That's not to say someone who eats meat is acting irresponsibly - I just urge everyone to put some thought into where their food comes from. I know that not everyone has access to or can afford the kind of produce we have available to us here in the DC area, nor can everyone pop into the Whole Foods for a shop a couple of times a week like a big fat yuppie (I'm talking about me, hi).

 ...and I won't try to talk here about the kind of costs and statistics many have analyzed around fresh v. processed food. Just, you know, think about it.

gah.