she's not kidding

karel: I WILL RELEASE HARRY POTTER 5-LIKE WRATH ON YOU

my interview with di

interviewing is hard! i have a whole new respect for all those news correspondents. except kojo nnamdi. even on my worst day, i'm better than him.

so, without further ado, here's my part of the great interview experiment with the lovely di from woman wandering.

hey, i'm tatiana, the lucky lady who gets to interview you as dictated by citizen! i'm not sure what kind of format you wanted to go with, but i wanted it to be a bit like a real interview and have the questions build on answer instead of just 10 static questions, like a survey.

so, that being said...

how does a kiwi living in europe first get into state side blogs?

if you don't want to do the back and forth, just let me know and i'll write up the rest of the questions for you to answer at your leisure.

Hi Taitiana, I'm fine with whatever format you want to follow. Nice to find your email here.

Hmmm, I moved to Belgium from my Istanbul life and I entered into the process of immigrating within a few weeks. My life stalled and I couldn't work legally, couldn't fly back to New Zealand easily and had no friends in Belgium so ... I started blogging to stop from going crazy and to stay in touch with people back home.

In those days, you could click on 'next blog' in Blogger and find a lot of good people. That was probably how I started building my American blog connections although, that said, I probably met a lot of my American blogging friends via expat blogs and sites. And then when I found someone I really enjoyed, I'd run through their links list ... I guess.

At least I think that's how it happened :)

i am getting a new semi fancy digital camera and am a bit intimidated about getting started. any tips for the newbie photographer?

I guess it would depend on what kind of learning style you have. If you're comfortable with the technical, then it's a good idea to go and take a few classes on using your digital camera. Reading the manual's not a bad plan but not something I've ever done.

What I've done it simply use the camera. I've taken it for walks and to parties, I photographed every move my daughter made when she was small, I took it to the beach, the river and family Christmas - I used it. Use it, use it and use it. Learn from your mistakes, talk to other photographers (and there are tons in the blogsphere these days) and in the meanwhile try to find which subject area you're passionate about ... which photographs always turn out the best.

I belonged to a photographic club back in New Zealand and we had this superb landscape photographer come in to give us a talk. He said that we can't expect to photograph every subject well ... people and landscapes and architecture. Nature made his heart sing and that's what he concentrated on. It was good advice and for a long time, my chosen subjects were people and animals.

Another friend told me that he collects photographs he likes and keeps an ideas file, then tries to do the same when he takes photographs. Finding a photo group like 'I love photography' or aminus3 online is also a great way to get your peers to comment on your photography.

Hmmm, I think that's about it.

Thanks for the photo tips- I can't wait to get started. You mention taking a lot of photos of your daughter. How has it been to raise her far away from your family?

** If you aren't comfortable answering this or any other questions, I apologize. Please let me know and I'll think of another!

It's okay ...

My daughter is 21 and only arrived back in my life April 2008.
These days I'm not really raising her, mostly it's more like she's raising me or that's what she would tell you if you asked. It's tough over here though ... she has to learn the language, attend a social orientation course for immigrants to Belgium and then work out what she wants to do with the rest of her life but it's so very very good to have her back in my life.

I had to smile about your reply to the photo tips. I wasn't sure if it was interview or you :) I use photoshop sometimes too. Mostly I like to keep it real but I sometimes the cropping tool is a useful one - just to get things framed right.

Hey, the other thing I forgot to tell you. My favourite lens is a 75-300mm - it's close up and personal but it also allows me to be further back from the subject and out of their face or to zoom right in and get details. That's my favourite lens, meanwhile my husband prefers our 28-80 lens. It's a really good idea to find out which lens gives you the best result. I really believe lens preference is a personal thing ... it allows you to develop a 'look' that is you.

I assume from all the places that you've lived that you also travel a great deal. What are you top few destinations?

I think my top two destinations would surely be Rome and Istanbul - both adored in different ways. Hmmm countries, Italy and Spain.

Being a New Zealander, I was surprised to find that I really liked Perth in Australia ... we grow up with this trans-Tasman rivalry thing that's less than serious when tested. My brothers both married Australians, I guess that proves my point.

I need to travel much much more than I do at the moment.

Do you think that you will move to another county or is Belgium it for you?

I hope I move to another country ... whether we go back to my country or I talk my Belgian into another European country is unclear but I have a history of moving every few years. I started small in New Zealand, just houses and towns, now it's countries. I like it that way.

I love your phrase 'my Belgian'. Some random questions now- what is your favorite meal of all time, to eat and to cook?

Lol, he raises an eyebrow at me when I call him my Belgian ...

I was taken on a surprise overnight trip and it resulted in my most recent favourite meal

And there's this Mexican dish at a cafe in Amsterdam but I have no idea what it's called ... having always gone with a friend who ordered it for me.

To cook: Persian chicken
And red wine with EVERYTHING.

That meal looks amazing! I am very jealous, as I am about to eat a plain old turkey sandwich.

I recently went through some old boxes of mine and found some old trinkets that I adored growing up. Is there anything from your childhood that you might have lost that you would love to find again?

I almost died of gluttony that night but it was a simply stunning meal.

Plain old turkey sandwich ... don't feel too bad, I just finished plain rice due to the delicate nature of my flu-like tummy tonight, with water.
Dramatic and heartfelt sigh.

You really made me think with your question.
There was a movie called 'Croupier' and the main character, Clive Owens, had this signature line - 'Hold on tightly, let go lightly', and it suits me in a way. I've downsized my life so many times that treasures have been lost and I do my best but if I don't find them I've pretty much learned to let them go lightly, having loved them while I had them.

I realised I had to, otherwise I might have gone crazy along the way :)

I'm sorry you aren't feeling well! I grew up eating rice everyday, so plain white rice is actually a comfort food of mine.

Your philosophy on letting material things go is really smart- I have to learn to do more of that, though I am getting better.

On the subject of collecting, I'm a grad student in museum studies and am wondering if there are any museums that you think are must sees.

How come you ate rice everyday? I was so intrigued :)

Museums you must see ... well, in my humble opinion I think Istanbul's Archaeological museum is pretty superb but I'm hugely intimidated by the thought of telling that to a grad student in museum studies :)

And we have this cute little museum back in Dunedin, New Zealand, and growing up I thought it stunning. Looking back now, I have to smile - so many of our Eygptian pieces, for example, came back with our pack-ratting soldiers during the war. I'd like to go home now and see how it measures up ... I'm sure it does, within the constraints of a city museum on a small island nation. They think it does, I noticed that the website claims to be 'one of the best museums in the world'.

My mother in Colombian and rice is the staple starch- not super nutritious, but totally tastes of home. Thanks for the museum suggestions- I love all sizes and types, so I'll add these to my list.

I saw you got mentioned in Neil's interview of V-Grrl. Of your close friends in Belgium, how many would you say are natives and how many are expats like yourself?

I can understand the 'home' feeling of rice. It's nice that you have that - I think it might be toast for me, as buttering toast was held in high regard by my mother, it was a kind of science, so that's my comfort food. Eating plain rice wasn't so bad, I like it with a little salt, it was only the circumstances :)

Hmmm friends in Belgium well ... Lut is a good friend and she's Belgian, and Eva, Peter and the other Peter (Manic) too, then there are the guys from Flanders Fields who are pure gold. But thinking about it I can see that, more of than not, my friends here are foreigners simply because they're the ones who seem to be the most open to people.

I guess it's easy enough to explain ... we come from different cultures, religions, career paths but find common ground in our foreign status and go forward from there. I really enjoy meeting people from all over and the parties we have here at our place are pure delight, in that we keep widening our circle and meet truly interesting people along the way.

Sometimes you meet the most fascinating people when it all gets boiled down to one common factor- like being a non native.

So, this whole interview process started up because of blog awards. Which award would you be most honored to receive?

Again, thanks so much for agreeing to my back and forth format- this interviewing process is much harder than I thought! It has been fantastic to meet you and read through your blog. And the photo tips are sure to come in handy once I receive my new camera! Thanks again.

Hmmm blog award. Do you know, I don't know anything much about blog awards, I've rarely been nominated for them but if I thought about it, I would love to be nominated for something that is about my photography or that just reassures me that people enjoy what I'm doing online.

I really enjoyed answering your questions, and write any old time about the photography, or if you're coming this way.

scholastic update

so, i am enrolled in three museum studies classes this semester- museum script writing, museum evaluation, and museum administration. two out of three are going really well. i'll let you guess which one isn't.

i don't know how i do it, but i somehow managed to get one of my professors to hate me by the second class. it isn't my fault that the room we meet in has horrible acoustics! i thought i would be doing everyone a favor by asking people to speak up when they talk! but apparently, i overstepped my student bounds or something. in any case, she apparently glared at me every time i talked in class the other day. le sigh, i'll just have to keep on being brilliant until she loves me.

eenywho, for my script writing class, the main assignment is to pick the objects and write all the labels for an exhibit of our own making. and i was wondering what you think i should research and write about.

bill peet, beloved disney animator and children's book illustrator
james rouse, community developer and founder of my hometown
quinceaneras, cotillions, and sweet 16s

i'm leaning towards the last one, mainly because i'm colombian but didn't have a quinceanera, but i did have a 16th birthday party. plus, my senior dance was a debutante ball in everything but name. so i could put a picture of me in my big silver dress and opera length gloves dancing with my dad in a tux in the exhibit!

but i want YOUR opinion. what exhibit would you most likely go see?

for barb, an awesome lady

this is barb.
and she is fan-frickin-tastic. we two immigrant babies worked together in starbucks for two years before we both fled for the greener pastures of grad school. she introduced me to eddie izzard, indulged with me in our shared love of carlo rossi, and allowed me to crash at her pad when taking the bus home was sheer impossibility (see, dc friends, i have a LONG history of this!). in short, barb is class act.

she also has ms.

barb is certainly one of the strongest people i know and i am mad proud to have her in my life. which is why when she asks me to support her in her annual ms walk, i say 'yes!' and 'can i draw on the goodwill of my MASSIVE readership?'

so, good friends, go visit here and give what you can. if you don't, you will receive a double dragon flying kick to the face.

we're going to run out of cake at this rate

there are few things that make eddie izzard better. large amounts of jug wine, pajama bottoms, and ice cream straight from the tub. but really, those things make everything better.



legos, however, take the humor of english tranvestities to a whole other level.



this is not a game of who the fuck are you.

because i am a lego man.

for karel, my mentor and faithful reader

happy now?!

am tired and busy and can't think of what to write, so you get a bit more about me.

1. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? childhood friend of my mother.

2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED? i think i teared up during 'carpoolers'. stupid hormones.

3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING ? if i don't have to write too fast. i like that it is very pointy. my g's look like my q's which means i have to consciously think about it whenever i write out my email.

4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT? salami.

5. DO YOU HAVE KIDS? no.

6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS
WITH YOU? oh lord, that would be a lot of hair and 'that's what she said' jokes. but yeah, i like sass.

7. DO YOU USE SARCASM? never.

8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? nope. they were so infected that before they removed them, they almost touched each other! from opposite sides of my throat!

9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? probably not, but i might consider the reverse rubber band thing.

10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? basic 4.

11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? yup.

12. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG? i'm getting stronger. and i need to stop punching people and breaking my metro card.

13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM? lemon gelato. or choc chip cookie dough.

14. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE? if they are funny. and hair.

15. RED OR PINK? pink.

16. WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF? my tendency to over analyze and lack of spelling skills.

17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? college and boston friends.

18. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO SEND THIS BACK TO YOU? oops, you got me! this was an email. but if you want to fill this out and send it to me, sure that would be fun.

19. WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? no pants OR shoes! crazy! and no, i'm not nude, just kicking it in a skirt.

20. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE? bagel and cream cheese at jules. at 11am. i'm starving.

21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? my bro and dad fighting about something or other.

22. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? burnt umber. because i like the way it sounds, not because i'm particularly fond of the actual hue.

23. FAVORITE SMELLS? clean laundry, freshly pressed and starched shirts, meyer lemon body cream from restoration hardware, brown sugar.

24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON
THE PHONE? mom.

25. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU? karel, i'm sorry i didn't select you out as a faithful reader. IS THIS ENOUGH NOW FOR YOU TO STOP LEAVING SAD COMMENTS!

26. FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH? baseball, especially at a ballpark. i can do football. footy is my fav by far.

27. HAIR COLOR? dark brown, nothing too exciting.

28. EYE COLOR? hazel.

29. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? i will once i get my new prescription filled.

30 FAVORITE FOOD? clementines, basil, seafood, avocado, olives, hearts of palm.

31. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS? i don't do scary movies. so, happy endings.

32. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED? blades of glory. not will ferrell's best but enjoyable.

33. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING? white beater with grey long sleeve shirt.

34. SUMMER OR WINTER? why not spring or fall? those are my favs. but fine, summer.

35. HUGS OR KISSES? well, you can hug more people without being creepy or a perv. but kisses are generally more fun.

36. FAVORITE DESSERT? honestly, i think i would rather have more dinner than dessert. but if i have to chose, fruit tart.

37. MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND? um, no one because this isn't an email.

38. LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND? maybe i should have just removed these questions.

39. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW? museum administration: an introduction. it is gripping!

40. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD? my finger.

41. WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON TV LAST NIGHT? georgetown v wva basketball game. and captioned obama from south carolina.

42. FAVORITE SOUND? people laughing at something i said.

43. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES? beegees.

44. WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME? australia/new zealand.

45. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT? really good memory for everything except how to spell.

46. WHERE WERE YOU BORN? columbia, md.

patriotic syrup

The national portrait gallery smells of pancakes and freedom.

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all about me

i was going to save this for tomorrow and count it as saturday's post, but that is a little bit cheating, even though i did write the majority of it. in any case, here is Geeky Tai-Tai aka Diana's interview of me. when she got me as an interview subject, she read my ENTIRE blog- i think the only other people who have that honor are me and cecilia. so if anything else, she gets mad props from me for being able to stomach all my typos.

so go learn a little more about me!

happy students' day!

today is my name day, as is the feast day of the saint i am named after. now, my mom didn't actually name me after st. tatiana on purpose- she just liked the name- but it is actually pretty fitting.

because i am totally a 3rd century christian martyr.

hmm, no.

because i too will be killed by a sword to the neck after a maneating lion doesn't touch me. (hey, he knows what is up.)

no, because she is the patron saint of students! even though nothing i could find about here makes her remotely academic, just some russian university built her a chapel. she does have connections to earthquakes, circuses, and civil servants, but i guess those are already covered.

ps. thanks to all the positive comments. it does an ego good!

100!

posting every day really adds up! when i started rizado back in october, i didn't think that i would have enough to say to keep this thing going for too long, especially coming up with something new to say everday. though, knowing myself, i should have known that i could fill tomes with all the trivia and knowledge i feel i MUST share with the world.

speaking of knowledge and trivia, i am part of this blogwide interview experiment. over the next few days, i'll be posting two sets of interviews, one from each side of the questions. you should check out the other interviews here. we all read this one blog yet are very very different. i like learning how one group of readers can be all over demographic and geographic spectra.

so here's to my 100th post- by the end of the year, it will be but a glimmer in my eye as i more than quadruple the number.

who wants to come with?

it is a limited time deal, so i'm thinking of going this weekend.

or i might just go today. and then again this weekend.

and while we are there, we can swing by this. even though the only hepburn movie i've seen is 'the lion in winter', i love her voice, her high waisted pants, and cate blanchett's portrayal of her in 'the aviator'.
plus, got to support a fellow bi-co girl.

don't get used to this twice a day posting schedule

but i couldn't let my main man, steve perry, celebrate his birthday without a shoutout!

i love journey. now, i know that everyone knows all the words to 'small town girl' and playing it in any bar automatically makes it a karaoke joint. but i LOVE journey. i have them on my ipod. i have sung karaoke to "lovin', touchin', squeezin'". i speculate on the parentage of a certain russian figure skater, with respect to today's birthday boy.

ilia kulik, in his (in)famous outfit that won him the gold.

perry, in all his gloriousness.

tell me there isn't a strong resemblance.

in any case, it is safe to say that my journey adoration is not entirely normal. unless it is commonplace to spend time thinking about and finding photographic evidence of possible familial links between 80s pop stars and foreign figure skaters.

so, happy birthday! the guy they have singing your songs now does an ok job, i guess.




but he's no you.

i don't watch the show

but i don't think you need to in order to appreciate this.



ps. i just realized that i misspelled both 'affiliations' and 'references' on my resume. i find it so hard to deal with my own stupidity before 9 am.

playing with my new toy

Whole foods, you truly know me.

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losing it

happy mlk day, everyone! it is very strange for me to actually have the day off in celebration- at haverford, our first day of classes in the spring semester was always today and then i worked at starbucks, where i just worked all the time. i enjoy bank holidays.

what i don't enjoy is looking for apartments.

i know, it is something that will end and i will find a place. i know that i'm luckier than most (and much luckier than when i first moved to boston) in that i am at home and don't have to be out by a specific date, relieving some of the stress of having to find a place to hang my hat asap.

that being said, i just want a place to live, now. because i'm spending way too much time thinking about this and not focusing on finding a part time job. or securing a summer internship. or doing my school work. or enjoying my free time.

i have a dream that i will have a new apartment lined up by the end of the week.*

*that is a bit blasphemous, isn't it? but seriously, i do dream about having a new apt soon. so it isn't a lie. still, i probably shouldn't draw analogies between my struggle for affordable housing to the civil rights movement.

my dad's side of the family must be so proud

You Belong in Dublin

Friendly and down to earth, you want to enjoy Europe without snobbery or pretensions. You're the perfect person to go wild on a pub crawl... or enjoy a quiet bike ride through the old part of town.

What European City Do You Belong In?

because i was born decades too late

sometimes, the only thing i can do is watch things like this on youtube.

visit from wild kingdom

remember how you use to have a favorite animal? maybe you still do or perhaps you never did, but i went through a few. cheetahs were my favorite for a LONG time. i did a project on them in fourth grade and i would rattle off cheetah facts all the time (amazing how in some ways i haven't changed).

sometime after my cheetah phase, i had a frog phase. there is a tree frog exhibit at the national aquarium that i feel in love with. i bought these coloring books that had transparent pages, so that when you colored them, you could cut them out and hang them in a window like stained glass panels. i got two frog ones. and colored them all.

while going through a bunch of boxes in the basement, i came across some old jewelry and my beloved frog necklace. i cut it off the hideous faux leather black cord and can now wear him with pride. i love that he looks like he's scaling my collarbones.

also, an update about my tiger self out in california.

lesson of the day: don't taunt maneating beasts. probably something most people know but can't remember when they are drunk and high. so write it down somewhere. maybe even laminate it and carry it around in your wallet.

and here is an embarrassing game. embarrassing on two counts- 1) poorly made and 2) just in bad taste.

Click here to make your own Fyrebug game

my new favorite thing

the double disc collection of frank sinatra's greatest hits that i got for cheap in san fran.

though imagining myself spinning around in a fantastic dress on a dance floor to a live band doesn't really help me focus on museum exhibition planning.

how i wish men had to wear suits all the time. and dance with me.

oh! and happy anniversary, parents! 21 years later and still loving it up. i know frank isn't really your style, so here's your song.


i love that mustache almost as much as i love you!

some things you ought to know

- while i love seltzer water, in particular lemon-lime zazz, it is perhaps not the best drink to take with me when it is going to be rustling around in my bag all day. carbonated beverages are sticky.

- so it seems that most people think i should keep my hair long- and they win! mostly because i'm going to be moving out of my parents' house (free) into dc/va (not so free) and the $60-$70 i would spend on a haircut could by my utilities for a month. i know it seems like a lot for a haircut (or maybe not, i don't know your personal upkeep budget) but i don't really spend money on makeup or other girly products, so i tend to splurge on my hair. that and since i get it cut about once every year and a half, it averages out to be not that much.

- remember how everyone was pregnant? yeah, well, the few remaining celebrities that weren't are now. matthew mcconaughey's girlfriend is with child and some playboy playmate is carring david spade's spawn. this nest that everyone is getting on is growing crowded.

- that being said, nicole richie and christina aguileria both had their babies- girl harlow and boy max, respectively. congrats!

- mid-atlantic winters are much less pleasant than those on the coast of california. i think i always knew this in theory but experiencing the difference in reality is a cruel wake up call. i've been inside for about an hour and my nose is still cold.

- i've added a new label that is long overdue- celeb. maybe, i'll go back through and retag. but i think not.

back to school

and so far, i've missed one class and been told in another that the semester assignment is a group project culminating in a 200 page document.

excuse the light posts- i'll be too busy passing out due to mental exhaustion.

the downside of traveling

red eyes- less than fun! even in my exhausted state, wasn't able to grab more than an hour or two of sleep on either flight. thankfully, i've just spent the last three hours napping- long enough to be a bit more sane but (hopefully) not long enough that i can't get to sleep at a reasonable time tonight.

so- san fran was great. alice walked me all over the place and i got to see lauren too! randomly ran into a kid we went to college with- our tiny 1200 student college. small worlds.

as happy as i was to go see friends in their natural habitats, i'm glad for things to assume a more normal pace and organized schedule. i decided to drop down to just a normal course load for this semester because i still need to work on finding a summer internship.

and i'm going to move out.

as much as i love my family, i think living at home isn't what i need right now. as much as i have had issues giving up my independence, i'm terribly far away from school and the vast majority of my friends in dc (sorry, elle, i'm going to be farther away! but you can crash with me whenever you want!).

so, over the next few weeks, i'll be settling back into some sort of schedule that will be immediatily thrown off my job and apt hunt. if you know of either in the dc metro area, let me know!

maybe i can 'rest my eyes' for another 45 minutes...

i'm a moron

and i should have made up my mind about cameras long before coming out here. today is BEAUTIFUL and it would have been great to have a nice camera to take some memorable shots. i guess i'll just have to remember what it all looks like.

i don't want to spend my last few hours with alice in front of a computer, so i'm off to socialize before sleeping all through my red eye.

eak, so late

so, i know that i've said in the past that i don't count it as another day until i've gone to bed but i've stayed up late enough that this counts. that, and i don't know when i'll be able to post tomorrow.

so! today was fantastic. i had in n' out burger of big lebowski fame. so tasty. went to a great little museum. walked all around san fran with alice. saw a great movie, though a tad depressing. met up with one of her roomies for some good times at various local watering holes. had a bit of a dance party when we got back. and then tried to go to bed but was still awake so i talked the ear off of previously mentioned roommate until very early in the morning.

all in all, thoroughly enjoying my time here. you should all come out. am going to try to get some rest now so that i can function tomorrow.

i think they are all going to be this short

because i'm just having too much fun!

i don't think it is going to rain today!

alice is taking me into the city!

we will eat cupcakes!

then go to a special place that is a surprise but i know it has to do with old things and lots of quarters!

i'm going to have tea and lemon curd!

quick cali update

i got here ok!

i didn't cry on the plane!

it rained today, but i'm happy to see alice!

went to a fun museum and had great pizza!

off to socialize!

first time for everything

as a 24 year old concerned citizen, this will be my first presidential primary. i've never registered with an official party, just because i thought both major parties had some huge flaws.

i finally made the step this year to register in an actual party- that's right, i'm no longer independent but can proudly say i'm a democrat in one of the most corrupt democratic states in the union. so while i was able to vote for kerry in 2004- absentee from mass to new jersey- this is my first round of presidential primary voting. due to my course schedule, however, i will have to vote absentee. and you should too. because every vote counts. even though maryland joins in pretty late in the game.

i'm still undecided though.

according to washingtonpost.com's choose your candidate quiz, i am most aligned with john edwards at 47 pts, with hilary clinton coming in a distant second with 25pts, barak obama nabbing the bronze with 19pts, and bill richardson finishing with a devestating 8pts. this quiz doesn't show much, as almost every multiple choice question was answered the same way in four different sentences, so i picked whatever sounded the best, flow and grammar wise. i basically chose which candidate's speech writer i liked best.

that and i must be drawn to edwards because we share a love of wendy's.

a traffic jam when you're already late is not irony, alanis, it is just bad luck

being anxious about taking an anti anxiety med- THAT is ironic.
back story: i used to love to fly. LOOOOOVE it. i was one of those kids who got to fly by themselves, so flight attendants would give me little plastic wings and i even got to sit in first class once to be closer to the flight attendant in charge of me. baggage carousels rocked my world. turbulence was like a ride! i was all about air travel.
but somewhere during my 14 hour flight from london to singapore five years ago, my body suddenly realized that it was in a huge metal tube, thousands of feet off the ground, going ridiculously fast. bernoulli's principle, my ass! from then on, with the exception of flying to perth on qantas (thanks for the free beer!), i was not a happy camper. but overall, it was that i was grumpy and a little uneasy.
as time passed, my fear of flying has increased. i start getting anxious the day before i fly out. i freak out at every bump, grabbing the seat rest until i have white knuckles- i thought this was just an expression, but no, it happens. i cry when turbulence gets bad. i start to breathe in exaggerated deep breaths in an effort to calm myself down. i try not to think about how high i am off the loving, stable ground, but the stupid pilot keeps on telling up our altitude and i can't help but focus on it.

so yeah, my and flying don't really mix.

kicker is, i still love to travel. i mean, yes, i have accepted my deep lazy streak but my friends are all spread out everywhere and i do love seeing them and new places. i just hate flying to get there.
tomorrow, i'm going to california to see alice, a dear friend from college. i've been anxious about this flight since i booked it months ago. so when i went to the doctor yesterday to get a new asthma inhaler, i asked him if there was anything i could do to relive some of this stress and anxiety. i expected some visualization techniques, but instead i got a prescription for xanax.

and because i shoudn't take it for the first time on a transcontinental flight, he said that i should take one before i leave to see how i react. so, i just took my first one.

now, i'm all for medication. when someone has a headache, i'm the first person to ask if they want some aleve from the stash i always have on me. when i'm sick, dayquil and nyquil are my best friends, along with vick's vapor rub. believe you me, i love pharmaceutical science.

but something that messes with my brain kinda freaks me out, even if in the long run it will stop larger freak outs. yes, i fret about anti anxiety meds.
it is starting to kick in... and funnily enough, i'm less worried about it. go make a song about that, ms morissette.

oops again

how is it that with a daily posting schedule, i could manage to wish people happy birthdays on their actual birthdays. obviously, i know that this isn't always possible. but you would think that if i've done it once, i could some how manage to avoid the same mistake in the future.

nope.

so, today, i wish a belated birthday to two close friends, born on the exact same day as when baby jesus got his gifts. michael and barb, happy birthday in your respective anniversaries of birth!

you can celebrate with this (thanks, matt, for bringing this into my life)-


the depths of my michael cera love can not be measured.

p.s. he's dead

so, i indulged in an 'estrogen fest' with sarah and juliet yesterday (thanks, sarah, for both the witty post and lady hangout titles!). we went to see p.s. i love you.

and it seriously could have been titled 'p.s. get ready to sob for two hours because while there are humorous moments in the movie, the fact that her husband is dead is going to be featured prominently and you are going to weep copiously.' you may think this is an exaggeration for me- i certainly do not hide the fact that i'm quick to cry at sappy movies, tv, commericals, etc- but honestly, it was like MY husband had died and my friends and family were trying to bring me back from the brink.

even juliet and sarah teared up and they are much more stoic ladies.

all this being said, i did enjoy the movie. but some critisms through the tears (don't worry, no spoilers.)

a) you are complaining about THAT apartment in nyc? you seriously need to get over yourself.
b) are there no working irish actors? scotland is close, but if you are going to feature ireland as a prominent location, you think that the two actors you get to play main roles could be from there. just saying.
c) lisa kudrow, i will always love you.
d) gina gershon is married to spike!
and just ONE SPOLIER
e) those are some seriously ugly shoes.

so, i say go see the flick but be prepared for some public blubbering.

the curves have it

so, i was going to try to post something super manly today to make up for the fact that i've been all about shoes and clothes lately. but then brett and juliet pointed this out to me and i just couldn't let it go without mention.

i always knew my great intelligence was directly related to my measurements.

how i love thee, lady language

so, i did make a resolution to myself to stop talking about all the shopping i've been doing recently. a) because you are probably sick and tired of me saying 'omg! i spend way too much money on myself!' and b) i should stop beating myself up for engaging in some retail therapy. the truth is i still have some pieces in my wardrobe from the early years of college (as in, six years ago) so it is perfectly reasonable to be weeding out the old and incorporating the incredibly cute new.

lots of this shopping has been with family and friends, ransacking the depths of nordstrom rack and gabriel brothers. but, all alone in the deeps of the night in my (sorry, i mean OUR room, cecilia), my eyes and credit card head towards lady language.

and lord mercy, was it miraculous.
there are a ton of after holiday sales going on, so now i really the time to go- i've shopped there in the past but this sale is truly stellar. all holiday dresses are half off! no shipping on orders over $40! and oh the customer support... seriously, the customer support.

i really wanted one skirt but it was out of stock, so i emailed them asking if they might, just maybe, perchance, might be getting more. and ever so promptly, michelle wrote back to me, saying 'yup, we just got a bunch in- want me to add one to your order!'

um, yes please!

and then i got my order today. and i got to have my own little fashion show, trying on my new clothes with my new shoes and prancing around.
but alas, alack, two of my items didn't fit me perfectly :( always something to be expected when shopping online. but once again, i emailed customer support, asked what i could do- exchange for a different size or dress or something? michelle once again got back to me post haste to say that i could exchange it for a different size, no problem, just let her know!

of course, at this point, my pesky little sister joins the affair, tries on my jacket, decides it is tres cute and wants it for herself. so i'll sell it to her. but now i wonder- can i exchange my less expensive dress for a larger version of the jacket my punk sister now wants?

and then michelle makes my day and solidifies me as a super loyal lady language customer forever- she's going to send me the jacket and i don't have to worry about sending back the dress or the price difference!
seriously, i feel so pimp right now.

so, ladies, go shop at lady language. sign up to review and get points that you can then redeem for more cute clothes. use the painfullyhip shopping discount code and allow that to spread your fashion wings that much farther.

new poll

so, i went through my blog last night, rereading old entries, cringing at all the typos i was too lazy to fix. and i realized.

i write a lot about my hair.

this makes sense because i talk a lot about my hair. and if you reread my hair timeline, you see that every four years or so, i cut a lot of it off.

that time is upon us. but i'm not sure what to do.

in the past, i didn't really know how to deal with the massive beast that is my head of hair. but i've since semi-mastered the technique and am now wondering if i could deal with short hair again.

so, please, participate in the poll to your left, leave comments on any specifics, and enjoy this third day of the new year.

eak!

my second day into the new year and i'm cutting it so close to the once daily posting! what can i say, i like to live dangerously.

actually, i like to boldly claim certain things and then totally go against them mere weeks later.

yes, i've bought both

wedges
and peeptoe slingbacks.

at least not all three in one shoe.

before you know, i'll be cooking bread pudding and gingerbread, sipping on my coffee.

obligatory post

ugh, standard new years day post! i hope that you feel better than i do, though i'm more tired than hungover. probably shouldn't have had that last little bit of spinach dip though (hehe inside family joke!).

so, i slipped it in kinda sneaky the other day, but i'm doing blog 365. nablopomo seems to have been a dry fun for 2008 overall. i did pretty well in decemeber- more than one post some days! i might have gotten a little cocky though because this upcoming semester, i'm taking museum administration, museum script writing, museum evaluation, and public archeology. yeah, that's four classes, more than full time. because i'm so intense! hardcore! and scholastic!

no, actually i have 8 more classes to go, so i could space things out more evenly, with three courses in the fall and spring and an internship and class during the summer. but since i want to get a job as soon as i'm done in december, i've decided to take more classes this semester so that i only have an internship and one course to deal with along with comps and the job search.

all of this is to say, the format of the site might change a little. i've tended to write really wordy posts (as i'm sure you know at this point) but if i'm going to be doing the whole all museums, all the time thing, i might do more of the youtube posts.

just a head's up!

now go get yourself some advil and a grilled cheese!