recovery

Guys.

So I spent the weekend at the beach and it was so AWESOME and whatnot. But here's the thing. It made me realize how much I hate not being at the beach. And how much I hate NOT sitting out in the sun all day. And how much I hate being forced to sit at a desk all day long. And the worst part? My face got all burnt and now my cheeks are red and my forehead is peeling. I look like Robert Redford and the Marlboro Man's lovechild.
*Sigh. And I miss Jeremiah Johnson.

Pick your favorite #2

Or...

Pick your favorite #1

Which video is pure gold? I can't decide. They are both life changing.

Interesting veggies

There a vote taking place on the PETA website for sexiest vegetarian. Yes, I think its great to be vegetarian and yes, I'm happy these people are socially aware of the implications and all. However, it's always interesting to note the people who decide to go this route. Some are funny, some are really seriously smokin hot, and some are just...lying. So, I have compiled a list, seperated into categories of some of the contenders for this years Sexiest Vegetarian Celebrity


1. Blast from the Past

Jonathan Taylor Thomas (JTT!)
Emmylou Harris
Jennie Garth
Noah Wyle
Q-Tip
Kenny Loggins

2. Doesn't eat meat, but still a meathead

Alec Baldwin
Benji Madden
Don Imus (prob went veg after pressure from his PR people.)
Woody Harrelson
Casey Kasem (star of Saved by the Bell)


3. Only doing it for the year to be entered in the contest, thus receiving recognition despite complete career failure. (including fact that they are probably only vegetarian because of their sole consumption of beer nuts and expired Schlitz)
Boy George
Bryan Adams
Little Richard
Michael Bolton

4. Hot, hot, hot. I'm considering us the best of friends because of all the things we have in common (like our shunning of meat product)

David Duchovny
Rivers Cuomo
Morrissey
Natalie Portman
Esai Morales
Joaquin Phoenix
Weird Al Yankovic (what?)
Nomadic Gnome

There you have it, folks. Go check out the website and vote for your favorite! Don't forget Samwise Gamgee! Hobbits are vegetarians, too!

Dilemna

Today my coworker brought these in
But all that did was make me want these instead
What is a girl to do? Guess I will be buying waxy chocolate wafers today.

Wait for it.

My sacrifice.

Sometimes, when a friend finds himself in trouble, you have to reach out With Arms Wide Open.

Projects

In the wake of my recent loss, I am in the process of rebuilding the good in my life. I have been wanting to start some projects for awhile, but haven't made the time. Now without the ability to hop in a car and waste my time driving around, I have much more free time on my hands to do what I please.

Project 1:
Plant a garden.
We have a really great space in our backyard for planting and reaping bountiful harvests of tomatoes, peppers, beans, peas, squash and flowers for the bees. It's the perfect time to plant and I may even start a little herb garden on my windowsill. Though, last time I did this my roommate knocked the window garden over twice! She was kind of a whore though, so I'm not worried about that happening again, as she recently got married.

Project 2:
Buy old furniture and learn to reupholster.
This is the project I've been thinking about for awhile. I don't imagine it would be too hard to learn, but I'm afraid it will look a little sloppy due to the fact that I am a novice. There is a really great antique spot that I'm looking forward to visiting soon. I'm sure I could find some amazing pieces there.

Project 3:
Create a recipe book.
I have a bunch of recipes I've tried from recent parties, dinners, and create-your-own-dessert nights. I really want to take all of these recipes, use some adhesive to set them in a book and bind my own cookbook. I should also take pictures so I know how delicious my recipes were! I find pictures always make everything a bit more appetizing. Using a cookbook without pictures is like going to the Manassas Mall on a Friday night. You're a little nervous going into it and the results are never ever what you had hoped for. You just shouldn't do it.

I'm looking forward to starting these summer projects! I would love some expert advice/tips on how to complete these ventures. Good advice is hard to find these days.

A Match made in heaven

Went to his book signing last week. He's such a charismatic man. Too bad he bats for the other team. They take away so many good ones...

Why have children when you can have this

This is honestly the most darling bicycle I've ever laid my eyes on. This bike was made in Portland with love and fury. Check it out here.

I'm switching over.

I'll take the bus, thank you.

Friday was great. Went to artomatic with Iggy and Best Friend. Saturday was spent shopping with mom for mothers day. We had some delicious salads for lunch and I went home to meet up with an old friend to go mountain biking.

My first biking experience was in a word, thrilling. One minute you are pedaling your brains out, trying to get up a steep hill and the next you are tensing up every muscle in your body, in an effort to keep your bike under control and to uh...stay alive. But I didn't crash at all. Which, as my friend explained, meant I was just too careful. Maybe next time.

Saturday night was spent at my friends housewarming party. I learned if you ask someone for money, they will give it to you without questions! Who knew I had such generous friends?

And then...Sunday. The weather was perfect. I was able to catch up with old friends and meet some new ones. Fast forward to 9:03 PM. Company is at the house and we're all sharing jokes and laughter and I'm sure warm fuzzies, when we hear screeching tires and grinding metal. We immediately ran outside to be nosy neighbors and to behold this:


Bloody hell.

As we were running outside, and while Joe was hopping over the fence like Walker, Texas Ranger to kick some rear, the guy who hit my car SPED OFF down the street! A hit and run...I was amazed at his bravado. One of our neighbors took off down the street to get try and get his tag information. Though, he really didn't need to. About 3 blocks up the road, the intoxicated driver lost control of his car and after side swiping 4 cars, ended up here:
Right here:
He had left a minor piece of his car behind him,
but continued on in determination leaving a blazing trail that would put any fireworks show to shame. Well done. I'm always saying when you go out, go out in style.
Ruby was taken to the big vehicular cloud in the sky.
A little part of me died last night. Lots of road trips with Ruby. When I was homeless for a few weeks, I camped out in the back. I looked all over for the perfect car and found Ruby by a lucky turn on a random street in Salt Lake. We had a good run, Ruby. You will be missed by many. Iggy. Best Friend. Chesty Laroo. You are gone, but not forgotten.

5/13/07 Never Forget.
Ruby, in happier times. Taken the week after I brought her home.

Waking up today was totally worth it.

The close ups. The profile shots. The air keyboards. I'm at a loss for words.

Blinded

She was swimming in a pool of paper. Strangled by deadlines, blinded by LCD light, Deafened by the buds of music filling her ears.
In an instant, it all seemed nonsense. Families unable to pay heat bills and she wanted to buy $50 designer pencil holders. What happened to her dedication and passion for helping others? What of her love for travel and education?

Is this it means to be in The Real World? Then, she thinks, I will happily exist in my idealistic world of possibility and social virtue.

Achtung! All people who love thursdays

Let's first begin by reviewing why Thursdays are so fantastic.
1. Day after hump day.
2. It's Friday's Eve.
3. The Office
4. Thursday is the new Friday. (I mean, really. Who actually works on Friday anymore?)

Ok, clearly I can't think of great reasons why Thursdays are one of my favorites of the week. Maybe it all stems from my adolesence when Thursday nights were filled with Friends and Seinfeld. Or maybe it comes from my love for Last Thursdayism.

Anyway whatever the reason, there is now a solid foundation upon which to build your love to the Thursday shrine.
Thursday is Swedish Pea Soup and crepes day!!!

In the days of yore, Swedes would eat a filling meal of Pea Soup and Swedish crepes on Thursdays as a method of preparing for the Catholic day of fasting on Friday. It was so prevelant in the culture, pea soup was even eaten by Royalty. History tells that a king, Erik the 14th, was killed eating Yellow pea soup that had been poisoned. Thats gotta be some thick soup to cover up the poison. Yumm.
As the country and culture disassociated itself from religious rituals, it continued to thrive. And, hello, I'm not surprised at all. Pea soup? Good. Crepes? Good. Swedish Thursdays? Gooooood.

Please join me every Thursday for a steaming bowl of hearty pea soup and a healthy plate of Crepes and Jam. And if you think pea soup/crepe thursdays are awesome, than check out Pink Thursdays, AKA Maundy Thursdays. Kids dressing up as witches, Bonfires, Halloween-esque Easter celebrations...I need to move to Sweden.

My quarter life crisis.

Now that I am officially 25 as of 2:02 this morning, I feel good. I've been apprehensive for this age. When I was younger, 25 year-olds always seemed to have it together. They were in careers, they were starting to get married and in some cases have children. They were knowledgeable about politics and the affairs of the world. They went on expensive vacations with their other overpaid friends of the professional world.

I can see how completely wrong I was about 25 year-olds, seeing as how I have none of those things. Fortunately, I have been richly blessed with an amazing family, caring and supportive friends, and opportunities to grow and learn about the world around me. Indeed, I feel very fortunate in my life and I always find my birthdays are a good time to reflect upon these times.

The highlights of my 24th year in sequential order:
1. Completing a cross country trip with Best Friend.
2. Getting my Dad and Mom to try sushi
3. Successful summer in Fairbanks, Alaska, including fire fighters, Jodi and the girls, My first Eskimo Olympics, getting chased by a moose, camping above the Arctic Circle, and several bluegrass festivals.
4. Jumping off a riverboat into icy waters of Alaska
5. Kayaking through the Prince William Sound
6. Another cross-country trip with my best friend, Leslie, through the southern states.
7. Knitted a blanket for my niece, E Squared.
8. NYC for new years!
9. Got a job {not really sure if this counts as highlight}
10. Reunion with my brother, sisters and parents for blessing of E Squared. (But we missed the Charlottesville Rowletts!)

Can't wait to see what this year will bring!

Linked

These men, though worlds apart, must be connected somehow. There is something in their eyes, something indistinguishable, that speaks to my soul. There are some amazing stories to be shared.

Tagged.

Thanks, Iggy. This successfully wasted 10 minutes of my work day. Every little bit helps.

Four jobs I have had in my life -
1. Retirement Home “waitress” (my first job at 14)
2. Baker. I made the scones and the cookies.
3. Pizza delivery girl
4. Office Rat, or Collation Specialist

Four movies I watch over and over again -
1. Motorcycle Diaries
2. Amelie
3. Lord of the Rings {I'm also a nerd, Iggy}
4. Waiting for Guffman

Four places I have lived -
1. Virginia - Manassas
2. Utah
3. Alaska
4. Virginia – Arlington

Four television shows I watch -
1. The Office. I'm hooked
2. Grey’s Anatomy. It comes on right after The Office. So convenient. So scandalous. So…je ne sais quoi.
3. Seinfeld
4. Friends {on DVD}

Four places I have gone on vacation -
1. Grand Canyon
2. Kenai Peninsula, AK
3. France. Not a huge fan. I prefer to call it “Freedom”.
4. Mazatlan, Mexico

Four websites I visit daily -
1. Friends' blogs
2. CNN
3. Gofugyourself
4. Travelocity

Four of my favorite foods -
1. spicy thai curry
2. spicy Indian curry
3. spicy Mexican food
4. brown sugar-cinnamon poptarts

Four places I'd rather be right now -
1. running a trail in Alaska
2. Sticky Fingers Bakery
3. The E street cinema
4. laying on a warm beach, getting cancer

Five people I tag -
1. Nobody. I’ve had enough of this Tagging business.

LE LOUP!

There are 3 things crucial to enjoying an awesome show on a school night.
1. Energy Drink
2. A good show buddy
3. Rockin hot music This is Le Loup, a new band from the DC area. Their sound is reminiscent of Polyphonic Spree, Animal Collective and The Anniversary. But their sound is definitely all their own! I have seen 2 out of 3 of their shows and hoping to make it to their show this Saturday. Go Le Loup!!!