30 November 2008

The Day I Ate A Sandwich: A Photo Essay

I'm going to keep this brief.

One day this summer, I ate a sandwich. It was all I ate that day. I took pictures. I am sharing them here. Enjoy my gluttony.

In all her glory.
Mmm, that cheese is right UP next to the plastic.
And so economical. And patriotic.
Yummers.
Oh god. This thing is huge.
Halfway through, I gave up on eating all the bread. I also gave up on taking pictures because I was full of processed food produtcs.

And yet, I also held on long enough to save this photos, to share them with you.

You're welcome.

29 November 2008

SORE-y

This summer, with my plethora of Friday nights in, I became a bit obsessed with Degrassi. If you have never heard of it, your life is not complete. It is essentially a teen soap from Canada, where everyone has slept with everyone's boyfriend and not more than one episode goes by without mention of STDs, marital infedility, teen violence, decelerations of love, or some other ridiculousness. In short, AMAZING.

And because it is delightfully predicitable, Sam (who has also joined me in Degrassi love) and I have devised a Degrassi drinking game. But be careful: you will get drunk. Severely drunk.

Drink whenever
- someone says "sorry" (pronouced SORE-y)
- someone says "I love you."
- someone gets shot, shaked, pushed down the stairs, slapped, pushed into a locker, or otherwise phsyically assulted.
- someone has an STD.
- someone has sex.
- the babies of teenage children are on screen.
- Mia looks at a boy because she WILL sleep with him.
- Page speaks in French.

It is a 30 minute show- get ready to be three sheets to the wind about 10 minutes in.

28 November 2008

Black Friday

On this, the biggest shopping day of the year, I want to share something that I've been yearning after for months and months. Of course, I'm still not going to buy anything because you know- ECONOMIC DOWNTURN- but come on?
How
flippin'
cute?!

[all images courtesy of inedible jewelry]

27 November 2008

Thankful

- my education
- black knee high boots
- familial stability
- stationary sales
- reality TV commentary
- making myself laugh
- mashed butternut squash
- color coordinated bedding
- Chipotle
- romance novels
- discount clothes
- hilarious roommates
- my ladies all over the country
- my readers
- Thanksgiving holidays in Florida

26 November 2008

What is you are obsessed?

So, I kinda love Jeopardy! Like, a TON. We DVR it in my household, all five days. And repeats on Saturdays.

And what better way to show off my obsession with America's greatest quiz show than a ring tone!

Please visit here and let me know what you think I should get. I'm deciding between "Puzzleboard" and "Think Music".

I mean, I guess I could get both, but at almost $2.50 a pop, I feel like I should limit my frivolous expenses.

Leave your thoughts in the comments!

25 November 2008

Now return to your regularly scheduled posting

Hey folks! By the time you read this, I will be thousands of feet in the air (shudder) heading to Florida for Thanksgiving (yay). I wish it was a total vacay: yes, it will be warm and I'll get to hang out some family a ton, but I will also have a lot of school work to do. Barf.

But I don't have to worry about daily posting because through the magic of the interwebs, they will magically appear on time.

So, while I'm sitting on a Florida beach, trying to get a bit of a tan and worrying about final projects, I won't have to worry about getting to a computer to entertain you. Because I'm entertaining you from the past- oooooo.

24 November 2008

Random Tidbits of Info on Me

- I slept with a down comforter year round. My dad likes to kid that he could see steam rising from my bed during the summers of my youth.
- I haven't update the prescription of my contacts in about 6 years. I can't remember the last time I wore them.
- My second toes are longer than my big toes.
- My middle fingers aren't straight- they both slant out.
- I apparently have odd digits.
- But don't worry, even though they are odd in nature, they are even in number.
- I think puns are one of the highest forms of humor.
- I say things like omg, brb, and lol in real life. At work.
- I get migraines about once to twice a month.
- I can't let myself daydream about working abroad. I mean, I do daydream about it but my thoughts soon turn to visas, housing, saving money, what would I do with my stuff here, etc. I can't just live in the dream for a second.
- These tidbits have gotten a bit depressing so I should probably go to sleep now.
- Oh, one more- I insist- INSIST- on saying good night to people. This is a major reason of why I don't know if I could ever feel comfortable living alone. I need someone to say sweet dreams to.

23 November 2008

YES!

Yesterday, I wrote 10 pages in about 4 hours. And then spent some more time revising. And then more writing a letter to my group about presentations, drafts, and more. Basically, brain, tired.

This is about all I can share today. But look- it's a cat! On a Roomba! A pet riding a vacuum! Ah, so cute :)

22 November 2008

Daddy Cool

Ever since I saw this video of a young French girl dancing around in a huge wig, I've been obsessed with this song. And since I needed the real deal, I went asearchin' on the Youtube.

Hrm, apparently I can't embed it here. But you should go check it out, post haste. (Note: may be a bit NSFW towards the end.)

Oh, the many things I love in this video! Let's list them, shall we?

- the hair, especially the woman in the middle with the PARTED afro.
- the white suit with no shirt. and high waisted pants.
- the arm chop as prevalent dance move.
- next most popular? turning.
- the head bopping. oh the head bopping.
- violins. i love violins in pop music.
- when he has issues taking off his jacket. teehehe.
- actually pretty much everything he does. the kicks. the squats. he's very athletic.
- how blatant are those moans of pleasure at the end? haha, so fantastic! no holding back in the 70s.
- the hump line.
- the enthusiastic but awkward white audience. I mean, how are they NOT dancing? I'm sitting down in a Starbucks and I'm still moving more than they are!

Did I miss anything?

ETA: GASP!

21 November 2008

DON'T FORGET

Sales, sales, sales! For starters, don't forget Karel's sale over at sunshower design (not her etsy store). 15% off ALL JEWELRY! I know you've had your eye on the featured necklace!


Also, make sure to check out all the great sales that are ending today (hurry!) and next Sunday over at decor8. I'm so excited for the cards I'm getting from Rock Scissor Paper and am still contemplating that financial planner from See Jane Work.

Mmm, things.

ETA: There's your banner!

20 November 2008

East Coast Grad Student Chic

It is fully winter here in the DC area, so I thought I might break down how one dresses for the cold like a hip East Coast grad student.
Predominant color is black
Pigtails because you've slept in the past few days and haven't washed your hair.
Scarf to kept out blistering chills.
Hat to cover said grease ball head, with poms for hilarity (on top of head and at the end ear strings).
Black glasses because you're an intellectual.
Sneer because you look down at the uneducated.
Fingerless gloves with mitten fold back so that you can stay warm but also grab your metro card out of your back pocket.
Smile because you realize this is your last fall semester of graduate school EVER!
You name this pimple "final project".
And this one "job search". Also, look try to look like 5 year old boy in closeups.

19 November 2008

Estoy entusiasmada!

Or, I'm excited! Either way works for me.

Six years ago, I took a flamenco dance class. And my arms are still sometimes sore. Seriously, what a workout. Eenywho, I love it all- the big dresses, the clapping, the stomping, the somber faces, the guitars. Maybe not the exceedingly long hair and fingernails of the men, but otherwise, I get behind it all.

Just got my ticket to see this in February and I'm PUMPED. It is going to be AMAZING, even if I'm a bit far away from the stage. I won't really care. Because flamenco- I loves it.



ETA- Anyone interested in seeing Patton Oswalt in DC in February? I can get tickets for $16!

18 November 2008

Things I should really move to top of my to-do list

- Get a desk chair
- Sit at my desk
- DO WORK AT MY DESK

Surprisingly, I'm not getting a whole lot done with my lap top, under the covers and only slightly propped up under my down comforter. The knee high socks, worn-in sweatshirt, glass of wine, and blasted Queen aren't really helping the productivity either.

Even though I won't be walking until May (fingers crossed), I am currently enrolled in what is potentially the last class of graduate school, EVER! And I've got senior (er, 3rd year grad student?) slump like WHOA. I apologize to everyone in my group project, I promise, I always get my stuff done. I mean, you are talking to someone who wrote over half of their 75 page thesis in 4 days. So my 5 pages of our final paper will get done and probably with some sense of academic quality.

I just don't know if they are going to happen while I'm under the covers and belting out "Somebody to Love".

17 November 2008

Je t'aime

Sam sent me this fantastic video. Not only does it combine my loves of children dancing, children somewhere else, and disco, but it also led me to a video that I might revisit whenever I'm feeling a bit down.

The disco fun

Disco Fever from Capucha on Vimeo.

To uplift

Love(ly) words from Capucha on Vimeo.

16 November 2008

A new year, of sorts

For some odd reason (I'm sure it had NOTHING to do with over indulgence at Halloween. Nope, never.) I've been on a kick to establish some healthy new habits since the start of November. I'm trying to do yoga every day, get more sleep, drink more water, and cook more of my meals at home.

And I have to say, I'm kinda proud of myself. I'm not sticking to my plans to the T but I'm trying to not give myself too much grief about it because there are a lot of new things I'm trying to do and overall, I'm doing well! Yoga, I'm averaging every other day, sleep is still eluding me but I am heading to bed earlier, I wasn't drink much water before so the 2-3 nalgenes of water I drink now is certainly and improvement and considering that I rarely eat lunch out anymore and even more rarely dinner, the food challenge is working out well too. GO ME!

I just wanted to share my accomplishments here because with holidays coming, the urge to skip yoga, stay up late watching TV, drink wine instead of water, and go out instead of stay in, I'm going to need reinforcements in the form of public shame.

15 November 2008

Shouldn't give her any ideas

As a child, my mom constantly harped on my posture. I don't know why I'm saying it in the past tense- to this day, she still gets on me about sitting up straight. She used to come behind me, put one hand in between my shoulder blades, grab one shoulder, and push it back until I sat up straight.

Oh so comfortable.

So I'm tempted to tell her about this because it would mean less painful reminders from my mom. But it also might mean that I'm constantly twitching like a dog with an invisible collar on.

14 November 2008

Well, that didn't take long

So, it didn't really take long of me looking through all these amazing deals for me to break down and buy a lot of stuff on sale.

A lot of stuff.

On MAD sale.

I'm not going to show you anything that I did buy because, you know, you might get something as a present. But that still leaves a ton of things I can show.

$4.40 for 10 cards. Yeah, that's not a typo.

$10 for what is quite possibly THE cutest notebook. EVER.

And... there is an entire page devoted to owls. O.W.L.S. I know I'm not super orginal, but I kinda have a thing for birds. Just a bit. Like I have 11 swallows on my bedrooms walls, 3 cranes by my mirror, a large penguin cocktail shaker that matches my penguin ring holder and votive stand. Oh, and a condor jug from Peru. So yes, birds. I likes them.

Especially this owl notebook.
$9. So twee.

Oh and those prices? Those are before the 25% discount made available from decor8- decor8xmas - good until 21 November.

On a completely unrelated note- how creepy are those commericals with the people who have the ampitheaters in the back their heads? Answer: totally.

[images from Rock Scissor Paper.]

13 November 2008

Time to fess up

So, I'm a bit guilty of reposting here. Eak, I'm sorry! But you see, I recently discovered decor8 - know, WAY behind the times there- and I'm a bit obsessed with a) the fact that she lives half the year abroad, half the year in the states (my new dream) and b) pratically everything she features on her site. I love stationay and planners and prints, oh my! And while I can buy all the ones that I want to, I can at least share them and perhaps get you to buy them so that I may one day look at all the things I like in person. Vicarious shopping fun.

Next item up is this financial planner from See Jane Work. There are tons of very pretty and nifty things on See Jane Work (check out the sales!) but I love this planner the most because as much as I love the ease of online budgeting, there is something about having a tactile organizer that calms me. Lets me lay things out. Same reason why I still have a paper planner instead of an electronic one- I just can't give them up.

On sale now for $10. Am considering giving it to myself, in hopes that I will collect receipts and track my spending. And then probably cry.

And don't forget your decor8 sale code- CJanedecor8 - good through 21 Nov.

[image from See Jane Work]

12 November 2008

Christmas, Christmas

Like I said yesterday, I will be sharing with your things I WISH I could buy for friends and family (and might break down and buy anyway) but that I really shouldn't because, you know, I should keep a roof over my head.

Besides the lovely Karel and her sunshower, check out these custom silhouette pictures by Cut Art by Karl (I have a K theme, don't I?)

These would be a perfect gift from all your sibling to your parents or grandparents. Perhaps a profile of your dog to your SO. Or maybe you just want to do one of yourself so that you can remember how taut your jowls were when you are old.

Besides custom orders, there are plenty of prints, many on sale, and frames, mats, and everything else you need for a complete gift.

Plus, you can get a whopping 25% of with the code DCDEAL at checkout.

I wonder which side is my good side.

-Edit- Code is only good through 21 November, so act fast!
[images from cut art]

11 November 2008

Christmas Shopping

So, I'm sure that many of you are trying to cut back on all costs and that Christmas is no exception. I know that I am. Sorry, friends and family, but that's the truth.

But I can't keep myself from Christmas shopping, especially online. Oh, the stationary, the rubber stamps, the notions- I love them all. In the following weeks, look forward to me alerting you to things that I can't buy but that you should.

For starters, go check out *my* necklace, as made by Karel, over at sunshower designs. I mean, I may be a bit biased because she's one of my best friends and what I think of as her prettiest necklace is named after me, but her pieces are true originals.

Aren't I pretty? And yes, I have a thing for birds.

10 November 2008

Ways in which I'm an old woman, as seen by recent CVS purchases

- insoles for my sensible black flats.

- floss for my purse. Because due to some recent dental work, there is a certain gap in my mouth that accumulates food like whoa and I've become a mid-day flosser.

09 November 2008

I DID IT!

I just drove for the first time in about 9 years.

I do kinda drive like a grandmother in that I never got closer to 2 miles to the speed limit, but I made it out of a parking lot, onto some back roads, and even onto a road with some double yellow lines.

DOUBLE. YELLOW. LINES. w00t.

At this rate, I just may be able to ring in my 26th year with a license.

08 November 2008

naps

I think I've finally made up for my election night fatigue.

I slept from 4:30pm until almost 7pm on my parents' super lush couch. Maybe it is just me, but there is just something extra restorative about napping in your parents' house. I could possibly be slightly allergic to something in their house that knocks me out, but I think it is just something about going home.

I am, however, REALLY missing the my DVR. You give someone the ability to pause live TV and they can hardly function when faced with normal TV.

07 November 2008

grumble

TBS, when you put a movie on demand, you don't include commercials. I want to be able to watch "Last Holiday" uninterrupted.

If I only had 3 weeks left to live, I wouldn't be spending my Friday nights watching Queen Latifah movies and doing research, but I have to fortune to not have any brain tumors causing me to seize the day.

What would you do if you only had 3 weeks left to live? I think I would travel as much as I could with as many friends, perhaps go on a bender or two, get a tattoo, eat like a glutton. Mmmm, gluttony.

06 November 2008

a lady, all the way

I never feel as classy as when I tip back an almost empty bag of chips to get those last few tasty morsels and I end up with crumbs in my hair.

At work.

05 November 2008

WOOHOO!!

God, the tears last night. The. tears.

Good ones, I assure you! I cried during both John McCain and Barack Obama's speeches. It made me miss the McCain from 2000, the one who was truely a maverick. It made me feel such immense hope for the future. There is such a sense of just sheer happiness in the air, I can't stand it.

This term is going to be intense and we've got to help out our president. He's a leader but we've got to be ready to be led.

04 November 2008

broken, but important, record

As you can tell from my nifty reader over there on the left (yeah for new features!), I'm not the only person using the interwebs to encourage you to vote. VOTE. I can't tell you how many times I've teared up in the last few days over the inspiring words of one Mr. Barack Obama. While on one hand, I can't wait for the campaigning to be over, I am also incredibly anxious about tonight and the upcoming four years.

Because I work in DC but live in VA and knew that the lines were going to be crazy, I voted absentee in person last week, still waiting about two hours for the privilege to support the Obama/Biden ticket. And while it means that today I got to sleep to a reasonable hour and not worry about rushing to the polls after work, a part of me is a bit sad that I won't be part of this hostoric election, not the same way that those of you who are voting today.

But I still got to vote! And you should too. Even if you support a scary ticket that will surely lead us into a position where the rest of the world hates us even more. And while a McCain/Palin White House would be a nightmare, it would certainly push me to really find a job/school abroad.

I hope that's a silver lining I won't have to rely on.

03 November 2008

started so strong

In 4th grade, my partner Molly Gordon and I almost won the science fair with our study of what types of earth worms preferred- sand or soil. We had buckets of just sand, just soil and ones half sand/half soil, and after a few weeks, whichever type of earth had more alive worms, was the winner. I vividly remember our presentation board- there was a Polaroid of me pretending to eat a worm- but I can't remember what soil type they liked.

Sorry for all the buildup.

The next time the science fair came around, we were to invent something. I think I forgot about my project because I ended up taping a knife to the end of a spork and calling it the "handy dandy spo-for-knife!"

Yeah, didn't almost win that year.

Maybe if I had focused on what I was truly trying to achieve- making utensils more fun- I would have come up with these and won.

02 November 2008

i think i'm going to have some for breakfast

So, I'm trying to remember how I first found out about Pop Waffle, but I can't. The awesomeness just clouds my mind.

I'm not sure what I love the most- the crayon drawings, the pop culture references, fun new music, renderings of her dad. It is just too great for words. And I realize I'm probably way behind the times- looks like she's been doing this since mid 2007. But I've made up for lost time by watching all 22 pop waffle volumes over one day.

Like I said, obsessed.

And you should be too.

The one that started it all.

01 November 2008

this thing again

So, I did the whole NaBloPoMo or National Blog Posting Month last November and decided to give it a whirl again this year. Hopefully, it will be the kick in the pants that I need to start being better about this thing. Because, I, the person who loves birthdays and anniversaries and all yearly celebrations of events... totally missed the one year mark of this blog.

Oh the shame. I'm so sorry, rizado! I think it might have had something to do with the fact that it passed just around the time that I was newly single but that is no excuse- a three year relationship ended half through last November and I was still able to blog away. Whatever the reason, I apologize.

Now, if you've been with me the whole way, you might have noticed that things have changed. I used to have some semi regular features- best of my blog roll, favorite stumble upon, thematic timelines of my life- but I have done any of those in months. Instead, the blog became a bit more personal, while still being fairly guarded. So I open it up to you, my readers- is there anything you would like to see in the following year? Resurected features? Something new? More of the same?

And to those in know- I'm thinking of filling up a certain bucket more regularly too.