note to self

when watching tori and dean: inn love at the library and there is a shot of tori spelling hosting the pussycat dolls in las vegas, people looking over your shoulder MAY think you are into viewing burlesque in public places.

i've done it!

woohoo! nablopomo, i smoked your ass. sure, not all my posts might have not be as high quality as this, but i made it through november! i'm going to try to keep up with the daily posting schedule, if anything, so that when i'm rich and famous and people discover me through friends, they have TONS of archives to read back through (hello, future loyal readers!).

also in some exciting news- i left a question at smitten kitchen about two weeks ago and deb answered it! so swoon worthy to see my name (and rizado!) on a blog that is so popular. my little blog! le sigh. my question and her answer are right below the picture of the lemon.

so now that nablo is over, i hold my breath waiting to see if i won one of the 62 fantastic prizes. i mean, i guess that getting into better writing habits is prize enough, but honestly, i like stuff.

best of the best

dooce, finslippy, fussy, mightygirl, the best of the best. really, i think everyone reads these.

when i first started reading blogs semi-obsessively, i limited myself to people i knew in 'real' life and celebrity blogs. my reasoning was that since i knew the people who were writing, i would care more about what was going on with them. and celebrities, while i don't know them personally, it fells like i do because i read blogs about them. yes, circular logic, but there you have it.

until one, a few years ago, when wise man asked me if i read dooce. i said, nope and some sort of shorter explanation than i laid out about. he said that i should, it was nominated and won some sort of online blogging contest.

so i started reading.

and oh lordy. i was sucked in. no longer did i have to know these people whose lives i read about. and so began my obsession with mom blogs. as a childless unmarried 22 year old.

and i was happy in heather-land for a long time. she was the only one i had added to my otherwise old blog reads. and then i saw that she had blogging friends.

so i started reading about eden and maggie in san fran. more moms, fan tab blogs. i have no doubt in my mind that reading them fueled this.

and i thought i was topped out. but then i linked from one of these lovely ladies to alice, over here on my coast. le sigh, i do love blogs.

now, i know that some people out there will argue that if i'm going to group a whole bunch of my blogs into celebrity status, i'm leaving out a bunch of my regular reads. and they are right- i do read lot of the big blogs in addition to my familiar standbys. but i'm including these four ladies together because they ARE together. and because it is my first real experience with exploring the depths of the blogging world connection.

and if i were to ever meet any of them at blogher, i would faint.

ladies, rev you pointers. and i guess, men who like to buy their ladies things. you too can use your mouse.

so, i'm not a mom. this has been established. but i still love mom blogs. just look at my sidebar.

oh i wish i had found this sooner.

design mom is holding a holiday giveaway this week and i almost (almost!) didn't want to tell you. i'm just sad that i found out about this after the superhero necklace and belle & linda bag finished!

even if you aren't into what they are giving away, i would enter. you can always give away what you win to someone on your christmas/chanukah/kwanza list.

wish lists

so, my mom has said 'no list, no presents' in reference to chirstmas gifts this year, so i'm wondering what i should get. here's what i've got so far.

- digital camera. i can't decide if i want something small to throw into my bag or something a little fancier (that will obvi be my only present) that i can do fun things with. because honesty, how many more pics like this do you want to see?

- yoga/workout pants. living at home, i get to use my family membership to the gym, which means that i've been wearing my 4+ year old workout pants for something more than lazing around. now, i'm a hardcore lazy person, so i've had to sew the crotch of all my (2) pairs of workout pants. not a big deal when i'm on the elliptical, but when i'm doing open leg rocker in pirates class, every can tell that i like to darn black pants with yellow and purple thread. hot.

- an external hard drive and some more memory. i read this and am now afraid that i don't have my stuff backed up anywhere. and even though i've got 15 GB left on betty, if i get a camera, that won't be enough very soon.

- cool feet. damn, i'm getting these for myself if it doesn't happen otherwise.

- i have a list of books from romance novels to historical fiction to books about minerals. always good to supply specifics, though i've ended up with some very quality reads with the broad 'books you think i would like'.

- money. i could always use money. hello, i'm a student? yeah, money is nice.

so, loyal readers (i think your numbers have swelled to just under 10 now! woohoo!), please let me know a) of the above list, specifics of what i should get- what camera is the best ever, yoga pants that totally transform your experience of downward facing dog, etc and b) anything you think i should add.

weekend odds and ends

thanks to both wise man and elle for answering my advent calendar cry of despair. i can't wait for dec 1 and the mediocre chocolate that waits for me behind each little perforated paper door.

i finally got around to seeing the new hairspray- you know, the movie that is based on a musical that is based on a movie. i thought it was ok- i always like dancing in movies, james marsden was fan tab as cornie collins, and i always loved that one of the main characters has the same name as my grandma (edna). at the same time, it answered the age old question of 'can a musical have too many songs?' with a resounding yes. if you are only going to see one hairspray, make it the original.

oh and elle and i have already figured out what we are going to be for halloween next year (this year we were mini m&ms, complete with white shoes and plastics four fingered gloves.)

we look like this in our normal lives (or we did five years ago).
















it goes left to right, bani, me, elle. bani was my fantastic roomie in australia and we would include her in our halloween costume if she wasn't being smart in texas.

so, in about 11 months, we will look something like this







elle as anne shirley and me as diana barry from anne of green gables! bani can be the random girl on the left if she wants to be, but we aren't forcing her.

here's a bigger shot of elle/anne:















this is from earlier in the movie than the first shot, before she falls in the river and is rescued by gilbert blythe. mmm gilbert

i actually couldn't find any screenshots of anne's best friend, diana barry, from aoff (anne of green gables for you newbies). but i found MANY shots of her as a doll.





















i think we are a perfect match. of course, not everyone will automatically recognize us, so elle is going to carry around a slate (which she broke over hottie gilbert's head) and we were thinking i would carry around some money since they always talked about how rich her family is.

now we just have to buy ridiculously big girlie dresses from the turn of the century.

giraffe shoes!

le sigh. i own these beauties now, thanks to my sister (thanks, cecilia! if you want a shout out here, either start writing a blog or buy me things. or both.)

these are the first keds i've bought... in a decade? maybe ever, because the last time i wore keds, i was still young enough to have my mom buy my shoes. they were certainly not this cute back then.


plus, did i say that they have giraffes on them? because the totally do.

back on track

so, i guess i kinda let my weekly posts kinda slide. eak, sorry!

so, my weekly stumble for the last weekend in nov 2007 is

dlisted

there are a number of blogs that i check everyday and then there are blogs that i check MULTIPLE TIMES every day. dlisted certainly does its part to make sure i'm up on my celeb gossip and sufficiently distracted from being productive.

and you have to check multiple times a day to get all the daily features (one blogger who can hold up the end of their posting bargin). birthday sluts, caption contests EVERYDAY, morning wood, slut of the day/week/month/YEAR. le sigh, seriously. check it now. and then again in 2 hours.

i love it for being catty, having obvious favs, and generally trolling the internet for all my celeb news i could want. i used to read about four or five celeb blogs but it just got to be too much and there was a fair amount of overlap, so i whittled it down to my beloved dlist.

doesn't hurt that it shares its name with a fan tab show.

i've been dreaming of love's true kiss!

go see enchanted. it is superbly marvelous. it is so much more than your standard rom com.

don't let the animation throw you- the movie is great fun for people who grew up on classic disney films. i don't really know how to do a movie review without giving away any plot, but i'll just say that i laughed, i cried (no really i did. i cry at pretty much everything though, so this isn't really a definitive statement).

on another note, i let my little sister borrow my computer without closing my rizado tab. so she found my blog and started reading it (hi, cecilia! you are so not taking my dress and bracelet back to school, so don't even think about it).

now, i didn't TRY to hide the blog from my fam, i just didn't tell them. and i guess i kinda cover my ass enough that i wouldn't be upset by anything my family would find here. i don't know if this is smart blogging sense or i'm just boring.

thanks y'all.

i like me some thanksgiving. in my house of semi-strict eating rules (perhaps best elaborated upon in a future post), thanksgiving marked one of the few days a year when rules are relaxed. plus, i like cooking, sneaking pieces of food off of platters, the excuse to just be lazy and generally kick back on a fun fall day. so, while it isn't my most fav of all holidays (pros: don't have to go to church, cons: don't give/get any gifts), i still like to mark the day.

things i am thankful for:
- my parents putting me up in their house. while i lament my lack of independence, i really like not paying rent and it is kinda cool to be with my parents when i'm no longer a snotty teenager. and it is making grad school a much more reasonable endeavor.
- a functioning computer. i love my betty (named as such because she is a mac. made by apple. like apple brown betty. i love naming inanimate objects. again, another post.)
- pilates class. though i like to think of it as my pirates class.
- nablopomo. i'm going to see if i can keep up the daily posts (of some sort of quality) past the 30 nov end point. it might not be that strong in early december, but try to keep me from making excuses. unless you don't want me to post. than, let me crash and burn.
- my growing number of comment[er]s. seriously, i save all my emails that blogger sends me saying that i have a new comment.
- verizon in calling. that and the fact that most people i call on any sort of regular basis have verizon.
- i know i've said this before, but online tv. really, honestly, so thankful.
- renting movies from the library. as you can see, i truly love free media of every shape and form.
- down lap blankets and the number we have laying around the house.
- post-it notes.

how about you, loyal interweb readers? what are you thankful for? meats and cheeses? animals? people? nouns? verbs? gerunds? the sky and all its majestic wonder? belt loops? lemme know.

wash away the sleep

before i read this, i was all about the night shower. i've worked in cafes for seven of the last eight years, so when i got home, i smelled like the inside of a coffee pot. not something i want to transfer to my sheets. plus, showering at night= not showering in the morning= getting to sleep in just that much longer. all in all, night showers were totally where it was at.

but then my hair became an even bigger priority in my life (hard to believe, as i firmly hold my hair to be a mane* part of my personality). if i wanted my hair to look at all good, i would have to wash it. IN THE MORNING. EVERY DAY.

ugh, this wasn't something i wanted to do, but like i said, my hair is me, so i got on board with the whole morning shower thing. and it was hard at the beginning, not only because i had to wake up a full 45 minutes before i had to be out the door opposed to my old 10, but also because i had to fight with my little bro for the shower. i hate shouting first thing in the morning.

but now, i understand those irish spring commercials a little better. the blast of water really does something to rise the sleep out of my eyes and ease the pillow creases off my face. even if i fall asleep in the car on the way to dc (this happens with alarming frequency- don't worry, i'm not driving), i am more awake.

so, i'm a convert. morning showers for me always. sure, the night shower holds the allure of clean body before bed and extra sleep in the morning, but that last blast of cold water to seal out the frizz is like the cup of coffee the rest of you swear by.

*haha, get it? mane/main. i'm hilarious.

writers' strike

i'm starting to get worried that my shows won't be coming back. and since all shows are my shows, this should worry everyone else too.

i should say that i watched 99.8% of my tv on the interweb because my schedule is not consistent enough to be home for prime time viewing. and seeing as my parents have a tv with a vcr built it, they really aren't on going to get anything like a dvr or tivo. fine by me- i just watch until my eyes fall out on the go.

all that being said, i feel bad that my constant tv viewing might be hurting the people who create my obsession.

so.

i am saying that i would be willing to pay a reasonable fee to be able to watch tv online. i don't want to do an itunes thing of paying per show (mainly because if i had to add up how much i spend on tv in time and money, i might cry) but i would pay a yearly fee to each of my main networks- nbc, abc, and fox- for the privilege to watch shows online.

if i agree to do this, can the writers take it and please not strike? please?!?! it could be a thanksgiving miracle.

down in the mouth

i have a bad case of the mondays, times a headache. i don't want to be all mopey/get too personal, but i will say that things aren't the best for me right now, in terms of my tear ducts and the like.

i will be ok- i'm always ok, given time- but time hasn't passed since this monday yet, so i'm still kinda shaky.

if you are one of the few people who read this who get to see me in everyday life, a hug would be most appreciated. you might want to come prepared with a burping cloth, as i might leave some snot on your shoulder.

ps. i have to say my resolve in academia is picking up- my mom asked me if i wanted to go shopping today instead of going to school and i turned her down! i figure that since i have no job or anything else going on right now, school is where it should be. go nerd!

what part are you?

i was watching the holiday with my fam, and there was this line:

'Iris, in the movies we have leading ladies and we have the best friend. You, I can tell, are a leading lady, but for some reason you are behaving like the best friend.'

and it got me to thinking- what part do i play? am is the main event or the sassy sidekick in my own life? i would like to think the former but i can't lie that there are days when i feel like the later. but since i usually like sidekicks better than drama filled leads, i think that's ok.

plus, isn't iris a great name?

how to roast peppers

roasted peppers- mm mm MM. chili peppers, bell peppers- doesn't matter. roasting them makes them super tasty. and you can buy them at the store, but considering it doesn't take too much time or effort to do it yourself, buy fresh and do it at home.

bell peppers
1. cut in half and discard stem and seeds.
2. place cut side down on aluminum foil wrapped baking sheet.
3. turn on your broiler.
4. put in the pan. time depends on how big your pepper is and how close the pan is to the broiler. get it all the way up there. check on it every few minutes. i find that a normal sized pepper needs 5-8 minutes. you want it to be BLACK and burned and not particularly attractive. that's how you know it will be yummy.

chili peppers
1. if you have a gas top, you can grill the peppers directly on the burners. skewer whole peppers and rotate them so that they blacken evenly. some chilies (like jalapeños) have a waxy skin so they might pop a little while your roast them, but don't be afraid.

both types, once they are fully blackened
be careful! they will be hot. place peppers in a plastic sandwich bag and close off. mmm they will steam up. leave them be for 20 minutes. in this time, cut up some cheese, open up a can of tomato soup and corn, and prepare to make tasty grilled cheese and tomato soup.

after 20 minutes, remove the peppers from the bag. if blackened thoroughly enough, the skin will easily come off. if you are using chili peppers, cut them in half and remove the seeds. you can save the roasted peppers for a few days but they are best the day you roast them. yum.

cut up the peppers. put them in everything. sigh for the tasty food. especially good in tomato soup.

when in rome...

Your Pilgrim Name Is

Remember Brewster

What's Your Pilgrim Name?

two things i love! my wonderful memory (honestly, i can tell you what i wore my first day of college and if we are good friends, how your hair looked when we first met) and beer!

those pilgrims, they knew their stuff.

warmer up here, oddly enough

hello from boston! i've just got into my old apt after a bit of a bumpy ride- i really don't like flying so when the pilot says that we can't get any higher than just above the clouds and that we are going to be 'catching some turbulence', i pretty much want to cry. i'll have to save my flying stories for a timeline, but just let it be known that i'm proud i haven't cried in public today.

since wise man is at work today and has standing thursday night plans, today is my day to catch up with my ladies scattered around the boston area. and actively ignore any and all school work. because everyone knows that in boston, the only things to do are drink beer, eat clam chowder and steak, and cuddle with my cats. well, YOU can't cuddle with my cats. but you get the idea.

i hate all that you are and love.

so, while in the midst of nablopomo, i've been randomly reading a bunch of websites to get my daily fill of blogs. i came across this and agreed- wouldn't it be more interesting to know the things that i like that most people hate? and also, things i hate that most people love?

so- things i love that many abhor

1. putting popcorn in my mouth and then drinking something so that it gets all soggy. i'm not entirely sure if other people don't like this, but since most people don't like soggy popcorn, i think it is a safe assumption to make.

2. lifetime made for tv movies. so, i guess some people like these with me, or else they wouldn't keep making them, but on the whole, both men and women seem to dislike them. i get it, but i just love all media so watching denise richards and dean cain fall in love in a very predictable manner doesn't bother me in the slightest.

3. eating condiments straight or in odd combinations. like cream cheese and deli meat. and mayo with french fries. though apparently this isn't odd in france.

4. not having my feet covered by blankets. this isn't something i love so much as a necessity. doesn't matter how cold it is, i can't fall asleep with anything on my feet.

and things i hate that others love

1. coffee. just tastes like burnt mud. ewewEW. doesn't help that i worked in cafes for seven years.

2. peeptoe wedge slingbacks. the least nasty part of this trio is the wedge. i really don't like slingbacks (blisters waiting to happen) and peeptoes (if you want people to see your toes, wear some sandals). barf.

3. gingerbread. i know i'm going against everyone in america who loves christmas, but i don't like spicy desserts. just doesn't make sense to me. i do like ginger, just not in my bread.

4. bread pudding. while i do like soggy popcorn, i can't get on board with the texture of soggy bread.

how about you, my lovely four readers? do you have any odd likes and dislikes?

online tv

will be the death of me. seriously, i will be found, asphyxiated by my computer cord, with abc, fox, and nbc shows standing defiantly over my body. too much of a good thing is horrible for my work ethic.

another timeline

see this for more background info.

Boogie Through Time: A Dance Timeline

age around 1: after getting baths, i delight in running around with little to no clothes on and dance, dance, dance. my primary move involves both hands and one foot on the floor, with the other leg up in the air. and bouncing. lots of bouncing.

age 5: i start ballet lessons. it largely involves me leaping over turkeys, pumpkins, and other seasonal cutouts on the floor. i think i decided to stick with it because of the outfits and the jumping.

age 7: i try tap and decide that if i can't be as cool as shirley temple, i don't want any part of it.

age 9: i add jazz to my dance repertoire. i have some other dance friends who did this the year before me and are in jazz 2 while i waste away in jazz 1. however, i blow away the dance company with my jazz hands in our dance to speedracer that they promote me to jazz three next year. but for some reason, i don't sign up. i have no idea why, i was super proud. oh wait, i might be a year off and was moving to england.

age 11: in england, ballet was part of the school day. and the boys had to do it too. i thought this was HILARIOUS. obviously, not very enlightened of me.

age all my childhood: i was pretty consistently enrolled in ballet classes from five on, but my favorite dancing activity was choreographing my own dances to contemporary pop hits, like madonna. i really loved to get down with wilson philips and 'hold on.' there was a mirror in my room on the back of my door that had an unfinished edge. one day in middle school, dancing in front of the mirror to see the finer points of my hot moves, i dramatically throw my hands down to my sides and take a chunk out of my wrist. i don't bleed a lot but it is a huge chunk of skin. from then on, i back up from the door. oh also during this time, whenever i'm done with my choirs on saturday, i turn up classical music and dance around the kitchen/living room. sometimes i moved things so i could get in a grand jete.

age 14: i take one more year of ballet in high school before i decide that i don't have time for it. plus, my teacher didn't want me on pointe and i was PISSED. so i decide to do theater at my high school instead.

age 18: i take a jazz class at school in order to fulfill my pe requirement. nothing too exciting.

age almost 19: i take a semester of ballet to fulfill TWO pe requirements. because i'm awesome, i attend all these classes in a black footless unitard.

age 19 1/2: i take a semester of flamenco to fulfill TWO re requirements AND half an academic credit (or 1.5 credit hours if your school rolls that way). this class was amazing. flamenco beats are different from the standard 8 count that i was used to from ballet and jazz and though a little like tap in that you make sounds with your feet, i immediately loved flamenco because you HAD to twirl your skirt. i would practice routines in the bathroom of my dorm until people from other floors would complain because they could hear me through the whole building. they had no culture.

age almost 20: while studying abroad in australia, i don't want to get off the dance train that i'm on. so in addition to going out almost every night, i sign up for a latin dance class. i feel shamed that i'm not the best person in the class (it should be in my blood), but the instructor is such a strong lead that whenever he selects me to dance, i look good. ah i miss that class. except for the sweaty hands.

age 22: whew, that year right around 20 was big! after coming back for my senior year of school (busy) and the year after i graduated (scary), i have time to take another class. i settle on hiphop in boston. the company's name is jamnastics. it is fantastic. i quickly gain a reputation of remembering all the moves from the previous week. i may not be able to execute them the best, but damn, i know it.

age 24: no dance class and little to no going out- not a whole lot of dance right now. but i am taking pilates and i can point my toes like a mofo.

hmm, that was more than 10. sorry, i just have too much dance for one person!

obsession

i thoroughly enjoy my blog. yum. throughout the course of any day, i make mental (and sometimes physical) notes of things that i want to relay to my loyal public. for example, while at best buy yesterday, my friend elle picks up the movie rain man and says 'you know, for a person who really loves movies about retarded people, i'm surprised i've never seen this.' hilarious because she is being most sincere. she really loves developmentally challenged people. these snippets, my mom's jokes, stories of pee puddles, the history of my hair- the things blogs were made for.

and yet i can't stay true to rizado.

i have two other blog names in reserve, waiting for the right time.

i have one for my museum work and another for- who knows! the museum one has my real name on it, so i'm not going to say it here. the other one is just blank so you can check it out to see if i'm lying. it is crabcakes and football. yes, like the movie. as in, those are the things that maryland does. i don't have a deep passion to blog about regional cuisine or sports, but i had to get the name before someone else. just in case.

and now i am feeling the need to get another one. both me and friend karel have aching uteri for two things: children and to be mom bloggers. now, neither of these things are going to happen in the near future- heavens no. and that is how i want it to be. the ache is for later. but in my insane desire to have as many blogs as possible, i want to reserve my mom blog name now.

any suggestions? i love a good pun. oh! how about pun in the oven! oh man, i think i may have just saved myself from framing my children's lives around old bay and the terps.

i'll still take suggestions though. one can never have too many blank blogs.

whew.

that was a doozy yesterday! i don't know how much more i have to say. i wish i could give a pee puddle update, but i didn't go back down to the library basement in case the puddle was still there. i wasn't sure how much more all caps you could stand.

i think knocked up is making its way up to one of my fav movies of all time. today marked my third time seeing it and honestly, there was no part that i wasn't like 'oh i can't wait for this! ah such a funny line! haha the wit!' i mean, i don't think it can ever replace this in my heart, but perhaps in my movie rotation.

sorry for the weak post- i need to save my typing skills for the change of amish quilts in lancaster, pa due to the influx of tourists. yeah, you know you are jealous and wish you were a grad student too.

um, excuse me.

working at the library, looking like the perfect grad student, has some disadvantages. one, you obviously have all sorts of book and note taking material splayed out, in addition to your most prized possession, that lovely transportable computer. while this creates a great scene for academic fervor, it is a pain in the ass to deal with when you have to go to the bathroom and your school doesn't have an honor code. so, you pack up your 'puter, hope that no one takes you coat or backpack and saunter on down to the basement to do your business.

because you are sauntering, you don't notice when you walked into a big puddle. the splash gets your attention. you navigate the rest of the puddle by carefully walking from one elevation to another. your stall has tp and all is right with the world.

until you go to leave the bathroom.

you see the puddle again. you can see its true color now. and that smell you didn't really notice before- yeah, that's shit. you walked through the largest pee puddle known to... well, you. there are probably accounts of larger pee puddles in the history of man, but you certainly haven't encountered them.

you navigate this veritable sea of pee much more gingerly and because you are a good citizen, you feel it is your duty to report the leak. but do you go to the info desk? the reference desk? circulation? printing resources? why isn't there a plumbing issues desk? or an in case there is shit on the floor staging area?

you decide on the main desk in the main lobby of the building. they have a computer and a phone- they can probably figure out the right people to call. you approach them and they seem to be wary of you, like they can smell what you stepped in.

'um, excuse me? hi, yeah, there is a leak downstairs. a HUGE leak. by the bathrooms. i don't know if anyone has told you yet. but it is a huge puddle. it looks like it is coming from the BATHROOMS.'

they just stare at you and say 'ok.' you are forced to say again 'i just wanted to tell someone that there is a huge leak from the bathrooms in the basement. someone might want to look into it.'

again, they stare and say 'ok.'

not satisfied with this level of pee puddle awareness by the establishment, you stalk (no more sauntering) back to your lovely grad school study area, which is conveniently located near the front desk. you stare at them, imploring them with your brain waves to do something.

THEY DON'T DO ANYTHING ABOUT THE HUGE PEE PUDDLE IN THE BASEMENT.

you implore with your mind some more.

finally, a security guard shows up. is he going to guard the pee? rope it off? it isn't really an explosive, just a lot of pee! but hey, it is at least one form of authority. you take it.

but.

you are wary of his true mission. it has been about 20 minutes since you told the desk (by the way, you are obsessed with this puddle now.) so you watch him go to the elevator bank. and you make a mental note that this is the best seat to have to scope out front desk goings-on. and you wait to see which direction he will travel- down, to the infamous pool or up, to the stacks presumably free of human waste.

HE GOES UP.

running out of steam

oh no! what have i done? it is only the 8th and i'm already worried about making it through the month. especially because i have pages and pages of academic writing to do. and a trip to boston. and thanksgiving. woe is me!

so, in lieu of a real post, i'm just going to say that i'm very proud of myself for at least LOOKING like a grad student. i have the big black coat and scarf, the ever present nerd glasses, working on my laptop in the library, and drinking out of a coffee cup (psst, it's tea). i would say that appearances are at least 75% of the game.

oh and i can share another piece of my history! this is based on my mom's recollection, so i'm not sure of the finer points.

sometime, when i was in fifth or sixth grade, i went through a very pious period- this part i DO remember. i was very much into being a good catholic. i thought about being a priest (being a nun was not an option- they can't consecrate hosts). i said the rosary every night in bed. and, as part of this self reflection, i decided that it wasn't enough to confess to my priest. i had to atone with those i had trespassed against. it was like my own personal 12 step program towards becoming a holy person.

here's where my memory fades and my mom steps in.

so, one night, i hesitantly approached my mom.

'mommy? i have something to tell you.'

'what is it, sweetie?'

'well, you know how you asked me the other day if i thought you were fat. and i said that you weren't. i lied.'

'you are fat.'

heaven, here i come.

skipping through NaBloPoMo and best of

so, i said i would be doing this thing in alphabetical order but as i look at my list, i realize that a) i covered bsc headquarters already and b) daintee hasn't posted since late july. for real. i mean, i know she's busy with the whole being a teacher and moving, etc. but i can't in good conscience lead you to a blog that isn't actively posting. but go check out her archives :)

so, that brings us to

dc outsider, the best of the dc/job/sports blogs i read. mainly, because he's one of my bff's bf and lets me sleep at his house fortnightly.

like rizado, dc outsider is just getting started, so now is the time to get in on the ground floor. it is set up as a job hunting blog, but brett's interests are far too wide to be constrained so he waxes poetic and wittily on politics, his beloved soxs, and ireland. he puts in a lot more pics and videos than i do, which is something i commend him for- really reaching out to those visual learners.

but i don't want to be out done! so here's my attempt to do this video thing. i know this is old, but i enjoy it. and seeing as it is political in nature, i think it fits with dc outsider. *fingers crossed*

another week, another stumble.

so, i know that it is posted in my blogs list, but i really consider this much more of an occasional delight than a daily read. and since i get to make and break the rules, the weekly stumble of this first full week of november is

bsc headquaters

to the females in my peer group, bsc was a large part of our lives. don't deny it, it was. i tried for years to amass all these glorious paperbacks and hated the numeric holes on my bookshelf. and then there were super specials, which took up so much more space in my heart and pocketbook. i asked for bsc books for every gift giving holidays for YEARS. ah the good times.

except.

they were pretty crappy. which i didn't realize until just recently.

re-reading them- or more accurately, letting someone else do all the leg work and just enjoying the fruits of her labor- is providing me with almost as much joy as the books themselves once did. i find myself remembering exact passages and book covers, that dreaded repeating chapter 2, and stacy's diabetes. which is such a big deal! and i have no reason why!

put the best part of all- besides the weirdo time warp stoneybrook seems to be in- is the OUTFITS. seriously, if you can't find the time to read all the archives (and i don't know why you wouldn't make the time, but whatevs), just skim it for outfit descriptions. brings you back to the days when leggings were the height of fashion.

oh wait...

proud birds fall so low

'can i use you as a model?'

um YES TOTALLY ALL THE TIME.

i have to say that i was pretty proud that my pilates instructor selected me to demonstrate the swan. never mind that it hurts the backs of my knees, i was going to do it pointed toes and nary a wince. my ballet toes, my poker face. all necessary in pilates. what can i say, once a teacher's pet, always a teacher's pet. i don't want to show off, but hey, if you ask for, you get it.

after the swan, i come back down to earth fast (pun defiantly intended)

'hmm, you are off your mid-line.'

d'oh.

jim dale! on tv! i think i may cry!

so, jim dale of harry potter books on tape fame is the narrator of 'pushing daisies'. i think i may be in love with a new show. sorry, nbc, but if you let me watch '30 rock' or 'my name is earl', we may not be in this situation.

but don't worry.

i can love you all.

just let me watch you for free.

and please, do not talk to me about the strike. i may cry. just pay them, already! they are witty! they are funny! they make me laugh! they make me cry (though, really, that isn't all that hard. bad commercials make me cry. don't count that one.)

oh! and did you know that there are prizes associated with NaBloPoMo. because i did not. if possible, i'm more excited. crafts do that to me.

k i'm slow

so i wanted to put a linked badge to NaBloPoMo but i'm super slow and i can't figure out how to do it. apparently, i need to use a classic template or host it through another site- i don't know! ah! what have i done! but then i realized i could just link it through a post. not nearly as fancy, but hey, what are you going to do. i'm going to deal with it.

major pet peeve.

having to clean up my own eyebrows after i have paid a professional to wax them for me. LE SIGH. i mean, honestly. i didn't realize i had to touch them up until 15 minutes after i left the salon and it made me feel good that i didn't leave that extra dollar tip. i just knew somehow.

posting every day! and a new feature! what a day!

so i decided to do this whole NaBloPoMo thing where in an effort to get regular posts, i post everyday during the month of november. yikes. i hope that i can keep y'all entertained.

because i don't have enough semi-regular posts, i thought i would start another one! i know that my list of blogs is a tad... excessive? long? daunting? well, in an effort to show people whom i read and why i started in the first place, i'm going to be doing a 'best of (fill in the blank with some witty comment)'.

and because i love her best and she's fist alphabetically, my first entry will be

bellechanson, the best of my friends whom i know in real life but also avidly read online.

belle is manned by karel, one of my bffs from college years. when i had my first blog while studying abroad in australia, she hosted me on her domain, shiverydelight. i thought that she was the bee's knees for having her OWN domain and still being in college! like, what! i was a tad naive about the interweb.

karel studied english and creative writing, meaning that her posts are um, coherent, and uhhhhh, well thought out and put together... oh yeah, and she sometimes writes these amazing posts re: her life in such an artistic way that it makes me go 'whoa, i'm friends with a smart lady!' but because she wants to make me feel better about my lack of coherencey, she also posts about her bangs.

she cut them herself!

she's also mad creative and does web design, greeting cards, paper products, custom-made crafts, and more* through her side project, pink pomelo. it is nice to have her as a friend because she makes pretty things.

*what could the more be? buttons? pancakes? a little jig? you are leaving us hanging, ms. karel!

random funnies

a joke- why was the witch mad at the warlock? because he had a hallow-weenie!
not only is that joke fantastically corny, but i got it from my MOM. and she heard it because her sister called her up. JUST TO TELL HER THAT JOKE!

another joke- if you're an american when you go into the bathroom and you're an american when you leave the bathroom, what are you when you're in the bathroom? european!
i got this joke from my friend barb in response to the weenie joke. she likes to share.


line from a movie- you can't throw the baby out with the bathwater because than all you'll have is a wet, critically injured baby.

and, the best for last.

on the phone with wise man and he comments on the extreme stench created by the droppings of our two lovely cats. approximately fifteen minutes go by. we are chatting. suddenly, there is great ruckus in the background. i say 'whoa, what's going on there? sounds like you dropped something.' he replies 'yeah, a deuce.'*

happy thursday.


* he was shifting the litter around to thoroughly coat the new load fred and sammy had just dropped. so, it was a deuce, just not his. oh and as i'm typing this, my mom called up her sister JUST to tell her the second joke.