Christmastime is here.

I've been trying to avoid posting because I did not want to recognize the fact that I'm back in the states and my semester is over, but I guess it's inevitable.

For your amusement, the gingerbread community I made with Fiore and co. Yes, my house is the one with the GIGANTIC snowman leaning up against it because otherwise it would have fallen down. Er, I mean, my house is the one with the friendly snowman guard relaxing merrily against a gingerbread dwelling.

I'm going to miss Bath and my Northampton disfunctional family : /

A little anecdote from today...Burg and I finally bought Big Issues (for those of you who don't know, The Big Issue is a magazine in England that unemployed people sell, they're all over). We went to my favorite purveyor of The Big Issue, the man that stands in the alley above Ben's Cookies. Today he was offering a free animal with your copy of The Big Issue (in the past he has offered free smiles, done a little dance, serenaded people, etc). So we chose penguins and received the invisible Jim and Bob, complete with invisible cages.


EDIT: I've since read The Big Issue and while I recognize what it is doing for the homeless community...it really is a crappy magazine. Good thing it had George Michael on the cover so it wasn't a complete waste...

There shouldn't always be room for Jello

I think this picture sums up the 29 Christmas Party nicely
I'll now return to my bed, where I've been recovering for approximately 20 hours.

Oh but first, one of my favorite pics of the evening:
Under the chair: where jello shots go to die. And then be pried off the chair leg the next day.

This post is a bad idea

Um so I'm ridiculously tired right now. We got back from Stratford tonight to discover that the glorious wireless from a few days ago is STILL HERE and I just can't handle it. I've lived a surprisingly technology free semester what with no house internet and no cellphone, and now *bam* I have this and I'm abusing it. I need to go to bed. Someone tell me to go to bed.

I saw three plays in three days and I loved it. I think I could see a play every day and not get bored. Well unless it was a truly heinous play. Anyway, we saw three Royal Shakespeare Company productions, Merry Wives of Windsor the Musical (with Judi Dench, no less...*drop*), Pericles, and The Winter's Tale. They were all enjoyable, although Merry Wives wins for awesome cheesiness and The Winter's Tale wins for powerful acting. I guess Pericles can win for obscurity and creepiness. I don't think I could live in Stratford considering there's nothing to do past 10pm but it was fun and Christmasy and I caved to the deprivation of an entire semester and went to Starbucks three times.

Shakespeare's house was just as uneventful as it was the last time I was there. Saying I've been there twice is like the opposite of a *drop*. If I dropped that someone would just be like "Hey can you pick that back up, we don't want it lying around here."

And this is why I need to go to bed right now.

Mon Dieu

I've been to many many museums this semester. So many that I don't think I need to visit another art museum for a long time. Yet I don't know that any of them were quite as amusing as the Museum of Eroticism.




Anna and Josh think it's better than the Louvre...(I'm not sure if they're really comparable.)







Other Paris highlights:
-i love pastries
-la musee d'orsay is free if you (like the museum) are 20
-the catacombs: for everyone who enjoys being creeped out
-our dirty dirty hostel where the wallpaper was peeling and we slept under our coats instead of the blankets

oh wait, strike that last bullet from the list.

Tomorrow it's off to Stratford for a few days which should be a thoroughly Shakespearean time. I'm so close to home I can almost taste the La Cocina...

What's New at Northampton

My cookies...mostly doodles and Harry Potter








Karen's cookies..far more elaborate and blasphemous.








Our recyclables the day after the house party (the pics are on yahoo now)








My house is so diverse in our extracurricular pursuits...

Are there any Thanksgiving songs?

I have to say, it's pretty weird to be in England on Thanksgiving. What is a huge celebration (read: day of feasting) at home doesn't even exist here. As a result, they don't know when it's appropriate to put up Christmas decorations, they advertise for "Christmas turkeys," and I am not allowed to eat all day long. The program is making us a dinner tonight but it's not until 7... we all know that that's when the third or fourth Thanksgiving dinner takes place. It's alright though, I'll recover.

I am completely done with work until finals and it is glorious. This weekend I plan to bum around, reread the 4th Harry Potter, and watch the entire second season of House on dvd. I aspire to greatness, it's true.

I'm not really sure why I'm posting since I clearly have very little to say...I did make some excellent cookies the other day that were decorated by myself and Schreink quite amusingly, I think I'll post pictures of that soon. And perhaps some pictures from our house party, which was insane.

I propose that everyone who reads this (all 5 or 6 of you) send me a pumpkin pie. Just a suggestion.

A Few Numbers...

1 week until Thanksgiving.

2 weeks until Paris.

3 weeks until the Northhampton Christmas Party

4 weeks until I am home :-)

9 weeks until I am back at wam !!!

Being finished with 3/4 of my papers has prompted a lot of excitment over here.

On a more terrifying note, last night the largest fattest spider crawled in through my window...and disappeared.

What a horrible way to conclude this post. Instead, a picture:

.

Yess Lego Santa.I love consumer holidays. I'm not being sarcastic; I really do.

Ah!

It's a good thing I have Fiore, or I might've missed THIS.

(go! click it! it's exciting!)

Public Art, Munich Style

So Santa Clarita has this giant bear statue in Valencia Heritage Park. I named him once when he spent a week in City Hall, but I can't remember what name I gave him (Franklin?). Anyway, he's a part of the CA Bear Project (hmm that's kind of a weak link), which is an attempt at some CA-wide public art... I say attempt because I'm pretty sure Franklin (?) is one of the only art bears.

Munich, however, has the Lion Parade (and the website is awesome).

When I first got there, I saw one or two of these lion statues. They were painted and kind of random and I wasn't really sure what they were doing...but no, they're EVERYWHERE. I don't think you can walk 100 feet without encountering a lion. And I'm pretty sure no two lions are the same. Some of my favorites:

This one has a stein. How appropriate.


Neopolitan?


Art, a bench, and a trashcan: quite the multitasker.


I think this one is having an identity crisis.

So yeah, I thought that was pretty cool. I think the SCV should adapt the bear project into something equally cool, although I'm struggling to come up with a smaller animal that lives there...besides, like, the coyote. The coyote parade would not be very impressive.

On a mostly unrelated note: now that I have had German beer, I can never drink another beer again.

The Pubs of Bath

From left to right: The Dark Horse, Saracen's Head, The Rat and Parrot, The Huntsman, The Boater, St. Christopher's, and The Pig and The Fiddle

We earned our first place prize...even if splitting a bottle of champagne 7 ways doesn't amount to much.

Pope on a Rope.

Finally back in Bath, and I am overjoyed.

Things That I Will Miss About Fall Break:
-the gorgeous weather in France and Italy
-gelato (particularly from the place to the right of the Trevi Fountain)
-Euro MTV (particularly the weird german/italian soap and the Scissor Sisters video)
-free croissants for breakfast and real non-instant coffee/espresso
-stores being open past 6
-buying on the euro
-once in a lifetime opportunities, like making Pope jokes at the Vatican

Things That I Will Not Miss About Fall Break:
-living out of a backpack (particularly wearing the same pair of pants so much that i have to roll them at the waist to keep them on)
-not being able to straighten my hair
-reading maps all the time
-hotel beds and bathrooms and showers (particularly when the hotel showers ARE the bathrooms...)
-once in a lifetime opportunities, like walking across Rome at midnight barefoot (um, I know.)

So it was a wonderful time but I am very much glad to be back. The pictures are being updated slowly, seeing as it is a long and arduous process. Currently the Nice pics are up so hopefully those will hold you over until I have time to add the Italy pics. For now, a preview:



Just a little shot of the Sistine Chapel. Apparently the only reason you're not supposed to take pictures of it is because Japanese TV has a copyright to it (lame). So obviously when I found that out I had to get a picture just to spite them.

Also, If anyone can think of something brilliant for me to be for Halloween, please let me know within the next 24 hours.

Roman(ish) Holiday

Hello hello

I am currently at an Internet Cafe in Florence, which we all know is no way to be spending my vacation, so I'll make this short... I checked my email and saw that I owe a lot of you emails, which I will gladly return once I'm back in Bath on Monday. Miss you all and wish you could be here to sample many varieties of pizza and gelato with me :-)

A Very Merry UnBirthday

I'm going to culturally enhance my blog slightly today with a little link to the play I saw last night, The Birthday Party. It was good....but very very strange. I mean I guess that's the point, but it was certainly one of the more confusing plays I've seen. I also saw Conflict Tiger, this crazy russian documentary about man eating tigers..... both were on the study trip my modern british fiction class took to Bristol. It was an interestng day but I was ready to get back to the little bubble that is Bath.

My house has really maximized its pong potential in recent days. The danger being that sometimes the pong ball bounces out the kitchen window and has to be retrieved. Good times though, good times. Karaoke was a success. Sang a little Journey because, after all, we're in college. There were some other great contestants as well, particularly Pistol Pete who rocked out to some song that I can't remember, and Panda (yes, that was his name..) who 1)sang a Meatloaf song and 2) looked like Meatloaf. Too bizarre.

I continue to be grateful for itunes for making Grey's so downloadable. Tonight Burg and I will enjoy last week's episode, and perhaps a little guac. For now I am journeying home.

The Room of Requirement

If it exists, it's totally at Oxford. And I had class in it this week. I also think one of our program directors might be Gilderoy Lockhart. (I'm sorry if you don't read Harry Potter and can't get my allusions).

Every time I post it pains me because I see how the blog is suffering. Again I'll stress my picture page as a supplement.

Things I've Learned While at Oxford:
- 'The Turf' is the pub where Clinton didn't inhale
- Even the numeric codes to get through the gates have historical significance
- I don't know who thought of punting, but I'd imagine it was some British alcoholics
- My life has been incomplete without Indian food

Thank you, Toby

Toby at STA Travel has made my day (/life).

October break plans (with Burg and Xtina):
21-23: Nice and Monaco
24-26: Florence
27-29: Rome

Additionally, there is a December Paris weekend that has been booked.

I am financially and physically drained and I haven't even been yet. But I'm also pretty excited.

Olympics here I come

One of my fave London pics.

Teaching Your Grandmother to Suck Eggs

Two of my tutors have said that in class so far. Of course noone knew what it meant, so one of them explained it as meaning 'Teaching someone something they already know' --because your grandmother already knows how to suck eggs, so it would be redundant to teach her. What wasn't explained was what it means to 'suck eggs.' So I'm still kind of in the dark.

Speaking of darks....Apparently all the dye had not yet come out of my skinny jeans. So although I thought they were safe to wash with some whites....um, they weren't. I now have a lot more light blue clothing than I used to. Which wouldn't really bug me if I didn't already have a light blue polo.

London this weekend, will try to get some good pics to spice up the blog. Maybe some people picketing outside of Tony Blair's house or something....

So it's not a cupcake, but...

A (freaking delicious) cookie and a cappucino for 2.55 pounds. The picture does not do it justice.

The Dark Ages

No cellphone, no internet...man this is a whole new experience. It's hard to be my usual random-daily-blogging self when I don't even check my email every day. However I have found some time to provide two pictures:

A pretty view of Bath



A pretty view of a round of cider



Something that made me laugh recently-- a woman (British, obviously) working in a store told the group I was with that she loved our accents, and could listen to them all day.

EDIT: So I've thrown the few pics I've taken up on a yahoo photo account (see 'Bath Pics' link on the right)... I don't really have the time or patience to better organize it right now but I assume that will happen in the future.

When in Bath...

Ok so that title is horribly cliche, I can't believe I even thought about it let alone actually typed it. But while my body has gotten over the jet lag a bit, my mind apparently hasn't.

As a result, this is mostly just a Yes I Am Indeed Alive post. When my mental acuity returns I'll try and make some humorous observations....and if not just I'll just post some pictures of my house.

In the interim I'll just say that Bath is gorgeous and you should all come visit me right now. Go, buy your ticket, I'm waiting.

Goodbye Cupcakes

The lemon tart cupcake from Yummy's that's approximately half the size of my face
(note: wow it totally looks like I'm not wearing a shirt in the picture but trust me, I am)

The cupcakes Jenni made me on my second to last day of work

The lemon angel food cupcakes my mom made me last night

I can't be bothered with titles

Can't sit still. Leaving the country in 2 days. Freaking out.

Saw Dirty Rotten Scoundrels last night.....it was awesome. The whole cast was great, and Norbert was freaking amazing (of course). Plus two gay guys sat behind us giving extensive commentary on everyone and everything, so really it was the perfect theatre-going experience.

What?!

In my shock I could not think of a more clever title. So I'll get right to the point.

Tucker Carlson WON'T WEAR HIS BOWTIE on Dancing with the Stars ?!?!?!

Insanity. I thought they were inseperable. You don't see SpongeBob trading out his SquarePants for some distressed denim (excuse the horrible analogy). But really. If there was one reason I was going to watch it would be to see The Bowtie. Now I"ll leave Dancing with the Stars to the more devoted fans, ie my grandma, while personally sticking to the classics, ie watching that time Jon Stewart verbally kicked Carlson's ass on Crossfire. (which I desperately wish I could link, but am forbidden thanks to current browser).

RIP


Additionally: Breakfast so far: apple, licorice...and a cupcake. Fantastic.

3 is a Magic Number

I'm sure this is overkill given the number of people who weigh in on this sort of thing, but I've been meaning to do this for awhile. So here's who I want in the Runway final 3.





Michael- I've loved him since Day 1, when he made that coffee filter dress that was really overlooked. I hoped that he, much like Daniel V., would come into his own with time. And he did. Sweet.









Kayne-I think you said something to this effect Andrew, but he's like the southern gay best friend I never had. He's so adorable. He needs to turn his designing around a bit if he's going to make it to the end, and if he doesn't I might cry. And I pretty much never cry.








Uli- I think everyone can agree that she should've won last night (even Tim says so). The only reason they gave it to Vincent was to cause drama, and really I'm sick of that. Him and Angela both should've been gone episodes ago. Anyway, Uli rocks.

So that's what I think. Of course we all know that this won't be the final 3 because then the viewers would actually like the designers who made it, and [the proverbial] they can't have that.

Also, I recommend that everyone watch at least one episode with their father. It really adds a whole different dimension to the show. And it could be an experiment of sorts-- are all dads annoyed by Tim Gunn, or just mine?

Wednesday Stands for Boring

I want to see this. I had planned on a whole diatribe this morning about the Santa Clarita Valley's inability to show good movies and blah blah blah but as it turns out its actually playing out here (now). Way to steal my thunder, Edwards Valencia 12. I just need to find time (and a friend) to see it between today and 9 am Sunday.




I apologize for the mundane nature of today's post. I hope I haven't been granted some omniscient perspective on my own writing today, reavealing to me that its always this boring.


I'm reading this -->
So far so good, but I have absolutely no idea where its going.


Edit: On second thought, I don't apologize. It could be much much worse. I could be writing emo poetry or providing the details of my dentist appointment. Consider yourselves fortunate.

A Post for Miss Mack, On her Birthday

20 Good Things About Being 20

1) 12 months until you're 21
2) 52 weeks until you're 21
3) 365 days until you're 21
4) 8760 hours until you're 21
5) 525, 600 minutes until you're 21
6) 31,536,000 seconds until you're 21

Um, did I say 20 things? I meant 6.


Side note: Joel Stein, you cut me deep this morning. A dis to cupcakes AND Harry Potter at the same time? Ouch.

Every time a bell rings a cupcake gets its wings

Before the week is out I want to try and make these lemon angel food cupcakes. (Minus the fancy decoration which appears to include plants.)

Let it snow Let it snow Let it snow

There is no energy preservation occurring in this building right now. And if so, I am not benefitting from it. It is freeeezing. I'm trying to delay putting on my sweater because I know it will only be a weak shield from the harsh environs.

So this weekend I saw this: and read this:



Step up was awesomely bad. Or horribly awesome. Whichever order makes the most sense for you.
The Red Tent was legitimately good. Not something I'd really recommend to the male reading population, but good nonetheless.

On a more general note: I try not to be an elitist about movies or literature. Even when a film/book isn't traditionally good, it usually has something that lends it a sort of diamond-in-the-rough status. (Like Step Up or Jaws 2). But sometimes, it is just bad. And no amount of laughing-at-it-and-not-with-it can change that. Alexander comes to mind (Fiore can speak to the horror)....as does another book I read this weekend. I don't want to name it because that can't be good luck. Not that I believe in luck, but I did open an umbrella indoors this weekend, and do I really want to tempt fate? Not that I believe in fate. Hmm. Anyway, if I see you reading it I'll rescue you from its horribly simplistic sentence structure, religious undertones, and ultra manipulated plot.

Happy Monday.

An idle brain is the devil's playground

The world has really become a sad place when even the Choose Your Own Adventure books are being made into movies.

Using a remote to choose your adventure is nowhere near as cool as flipping to page 73 (only to discover you have been transported to the time of Genghis Khan, or turned into a baby).

But seriously, are kids that lazy and loth to read? Do the people who market this sort of thing really want kids to watch the movie instead of read the book?

I'm sure that will work out well for everyone in the long run...

Now to avoid hypocrisy (this time) I'll get off the internet and go read.

New and Improved (read: Not So) Fun Zone

Yesterday I mentioned how I rarely ever post current events....and here I am, doing it again: The End of the Fun Zone Era.

This isn't actually new by any means, but I wanted to take a moment, if belated, and mourn. Growing up (I say that like I'm not anymore...) we always went to the fun zone when we visited my grandparents, and I always freaked out in front of the Dark and Scary Ride (supposedly called the Scary Dark Ride, but this is my blog so I'll say what I want). Then my gparents moved up north for awhile and we didn't go back until later in high school...apparently the Dark and Scary Ride wasn't so Dark and Scary.

Aaanyway, I think it's pretty sad that it's being replaced by a museum. Sure, a "starfish-laden touch tank" has potential, but chances are good that it's either lame, overpriced, or both.

Hmm...should I get some more water for my half-empty glass?

If only I was wealthy and could buy my favorite lawsuit-waiting-to-happen ride, ie the drummer-boy-spinning-teacupish-thing. Then I could put it in my parents' backyard and have a taste of Newport kitsch whenever I wanted. Or twice a year at the very least.

Where are Pierce Brosnan and Tommy Lee Jones when you need them?!

Breaking my Never Post Twice in One Day Rule for this:

Volcano in Ecuador!

Now there are a lot of news stories out there and rarely does one make an appearance here, however it just so happens that the Heans was supposed to fly home from Ecuador today. That alone might not have merited a post, but then I saw this quote about the only casualty thus far:

"The man died of burns while trying to rescue a television set from his shack that was engulfed in flames, the police chief said."

Man, that's sad. I don't really want to make any snarky comments because then I'll feel like a bad person, but yeah. Ok Go was right- You cannot fight the television. (That was borderline snarky, I'd better back off).

Quick and completely unrelated note: Today we took a city car and got the one with a butcher knife in it. Yes! It's my favorite. I took a picture of the knife (discovered on my very first day of work, can't believe it's still there) which I'll post later.

You can lead a horse to two birds in a bush but it doesn't make them biscuits

I don't know if I've ever expressed here my desire to talk in mixed idioms all the time, but the title of this post is a direct result of that. It might be my favorite mixed idiom (mixiom?) ever, in that it contains two of my favorite idioms ever.

Speaking generally of phrases, I think that might be one of my favorite parts of Tim Gunn's blog. He loves to incorporate french phrases into his commentary and I love it. I think he used "Chacun a son gout" (literally: everyone has his own taste, basically: to each his own) twice in this post. I should start doing that, just drop in some french here and there. Of course I only remember the random ones like "Ce n'est pas tes oignons" (its not your onions, ie none of your business) and "Je ne suis pas dans mon assiette aujourd'hui (i'm not in my plate today, or i'm not feeling well). And now that we've all had a 10th grade french lesson....

These are all I wanted today. A very frustrating search that involved TWO grocery stores yielded no results. Sure, the blueberry muffin I wanted this morning was a piece of cake to procure, but I try to eat something healthy and it eludes me!

Coincidence? I think not.

Je ne suis pas dans mon assiette aujourd'hui.

EDIT: Because the end of this post sounded way too angsty for me, I'll throw in something literary. I got this book at the library today. I'm always iffy on the biblical tales but I've heard great things about it. Will report back.

The Fix is In

I need it. I rarely (if ever) journey AFTER work, but today it is necessary. Especially if we're hookah-ing later.



Today I was so bored (er, I mean, inquisitive) that I added up how much I've spent on Starbucks this summer....Surprisingly enough it only came out to around $60. I second Fiore in saying that's a small price to pay for my sanity. Of course I bet I'll spend another $15 before the summer is out (read: less than two weeks) but still. Not bad.

The up for today so far is definitely the Law and Order ringtone I downloaded at lunch. Awesome.

Of course this joy is dwarfed by the fact that I feel so lackadaisical right now I don't even have the energy to draw Spammy on my white board like I'd planned.



Wave hi to Spammy, kids.

There are no words for what you're about to see

Ok, so I know this is horrible. But it's one of the most horribly awesome things I've ever seen.



As Lepp pointed out, you might have to appreciate Newsies to understand its greatness. But if you don't appreciate Newsies we're probably not friends, as I would have forced you to watch it by now.

Additionally, Law and Order: Special Letters Unit is another must see (thanks Fiore).

Wow, Newsies and SVU in one post....this might be my favorite post ever.

Freak Cone Abnormality

Still debating whether or not using "freak" and "abnormality" in the same sentence is redundant...Regardless, take a look at this:


To your left, a normal Foster Freeze Swirl Chocolate Dipped Cone. To your right, my Freakishly Shaped And Is That A Spire On Top? Cone from last night. Seriously after the guy made it I could see him show it to his coworker because it was so odd looking. It was still delicious, but definitely one of a kind.

And for a complete non sequitur, I'm pretty sure I'll never need fiber in my diet again. Today at work I spent at least an hour and a half shredding documents (in a completely legal way, sorry) and I probably inhaled a tree's worth of paper.

Three Cheers for Consumerism

Finally succeeded in purchasing new digital camera. I would post a cool picture just to prove it, but it'd just be another picture of my dogs. So we'll wait until something exciting happens. [Like maybe dinner. Food is always exciting.]

Related Note: Although I ended up purchasing the camera at Best Buy, I did travel to not one but two Walmarts in the process....at which point I realized there are THREE Walmarts in the Santa Clarita Valley. Something tells me that isn't entirely necessary...

Also, I played tennis with my dad again yesterday...let's just say that mentally I am still the tennis player I was 2-3 years ago. Physically I may have the speed/agility of a sloth, and my body is now crying out in pain.

Hurrah, the Mack has arrived. Feasting can commence.

It's Friday, I'm in Love

...with:

-this little gem of a police report (much thanks to Defamer for alerting me to its existence)

-Iron Chef Morimoto being at the Tofu Festival (getting him to sign my cutting board would be second only to owning a piece of the Aggro Crag)

-the fact that I got to drink two cups of coffee before work this morning

Hmm yeah I was really reaching with that last one. I should be able to think of more good things about this day but I think the semi-naseaus state I am existing in is holding me back.

I think I heard a remake of Sublime's "What I Got" on the way home from work today. I really hope I was imagining that.

Cupcakes: An Evening in Review

Cupcake Trial #1: Yummy Cupcakes in Burbank. (I'll add a picture in here once I get them from Mack)

A good variety of flavors to choose from. I went with the Lemon Tart (lemon cake with lemon buttercream) and the Yummy Cupcake (chocolate cake, pink vanilla buttercream, chocolate sprinkles). Mack got a few other varieties that she'll have to add her input on.

Lemon Tart: Appearance- 9/10-very cute, lots of variety. The best deal ever? You can buy a "misfit cupcake" (imperfectly shaped) for only $1. Cake- 7/10- the lemon flavor was excellent, but it could've been a little more moist. that being said, we were eating them around 6pm so i didn't dock too many points. Frosting- 6/10- good lemon flavor, but super rich and there was a ton of it. if that's what you go for then you're set, but i personally would've enjoyed a lemon whipped cream frosting, or even a meringue of sorts.

(Note: I never got to eat the Yummy cupcake because I was so full. My Dad and sister said they enjoyed it.)

Now that I've been overly scientific and more than a little critical, I'll say that Yummy was, well, yummy, very pretty, and should definitely be journeyed too. Just bring some milk.

Of course after returning from Yummy I made my own cupcakes for work today....I'm not even going to try and hold them to my own cupcake-reviewing standards. I think they fall under the "not very aesthetically pleasing and a little messy but still delicious" category. Not that I'll be eating any today. I need to be put on a cupcake time out or I might be ill.

Cupcake-A-Thon

Next time you're home Fiore, a plan:

Sprinkles- Beverly Hills
Leda's Bake Shop- Sherman Oaks
Yummy Cupcakes- Burbank
Joan's On Third- LA (Grove region)

And, if we're feeling particularly adventurous:
Sweet Debbie's Organic Cupcakes- no store location, but they DELIVER. so perhaps when we're so full and feeling ill we can settle in a park somewhere and be delivered organic cupcakes (plus we'll feel healthy!).



I'm not quite bored enough to figure out which order we would hit the stores in. Additionally, I am sure there are other purveyors of cupcakes that I have missed, however I think 4 (potentially 5) cupcake varieties in one day is all that I can handle. As it is I might have to train for weeks before the event.

(Note: Eating LA did their own cupcake-a-thon of sorts, but of course it would be unscientific of us to blindly accept their results.)

Paranoia! Paranoia! Everybody's coming to get me...

Last week I made a left from McBean onto Valencia and the newly installed red light camera flashed me. I was pretty appalled considering I'd entered the intersection on the green, but then Jenni directed me to this city press release and I realized I was safe either way (it was July 31st). Of course it made me paranoid, because this morning I had a chance to enter on the yellow and I pretty much slammed on my breaks. Poor poor Acura, how I abuse you.

Also on the way to work, I spied what appeared to be a wet suit on the corner of the road. Um, seriously? In what scenario did that find its way there? Perhaps it belongs to the same person who left their comforter outside the Kohl's shopping center (which I see almost every day on my pilgrimage to Starbucks). A scuba diving, nap-loving homeless person is quite unhappy somewhere in the SCV. Unless he's already been shipped out to Los Angeles and didn't have time to gather his belongings....

On a Roll with Honor Roll

Sometimes (like when I watch this video and this even more awesome video) I remember how I had a chance to see the OK Go dance live and in person....and I went to a date party instead.

Of course I did go to that date party with Bayley, dressed as CANDY CORN, so that was pretty sweet...however that is also the Night That Will Live In Infamy Because I Dropped My Camera In the Library Tavern Bathroom. Ah well, what's past is past.

On a more serious note, some of you (Mack, Fiore) have not taken me seriously when I sing the praises of Teen Girl Squad. Now that I've provided this easily clickable link, you have no excuse.

Pound it

Why oh why is the dollar especially weak right before I go abroad? The post-fall-semester bank account is looking pretty bleak.

(It almost sounds like there is a poem in there somewhere but I'll move on).

Today I watched about 5 minutes of Legends of the Hidden Temple, but then I saw that my team was out (purple parrots! -far right-) and decided that I would catch some Shark Week reruns instead.

Journeyed to San Diego yesterday for the semifinals of the Acura Classic. The singles weren't bad but the doubles were awesome (so underappreciated). I wish they would televise the doubles final but its only shown on the Tennis Channel. Um, my family doesn't even get HBO...

Did, however, watch the singles final on tv today...Damn that Sharapova. Not only did she beat Clijsters (who I was pulling for) but she's dating Andy Roddick. Life just isn't fair.

This is me

I'm feeling so antsy lately. I just want to get up and go....somewhere. England? No I need my last three weeks to prep. Maybe the bookstore. Often I channel this feeling by unnecessary spending. At least if I spend on books I'll see some educational value in my purchaes when (if?) I return to rationality.

Today I watched this and read this and they both made my day. I'm not sure what that says about me.

An Excellent Triumvirate

Christian Bale, Hugh Jackman, and David Bowie: The Prestige is sure to be an awesome film. I mean seriously, has David Bowie even made a film since Labrynth?

(Ok so apparently he has, however I doubt he has yet to hold a role that tops Jareth the Goblin King)

(And no I did not pull the name 'Jareth the Goblin King' from memory)

Back to work now...

The 14th Post

I don't really have anything to say, however I thought 13 was an ominous number of posts. This is my attempt to remedy the situation.

Not that I'm particularly superstitious. I know for a fact I opened an umbrella indoors last semester, potentially more than once. And I step on sidewalk cracks all the time.

I know, it's a dangerous life I lead.

Now I'm going to attempt to clean my room, which has the potential to develop into one of the more harrowing pursuits in my recent history.

Tennis anyone?

The padre and I played tennis this morning for the first time in at least a year. It was kind of sad, my form has really deteriorated. Not that that should come as a surprise. But between one good serve and a few good shots it was almost encouragement to start playing regularly(ish) again. We'll see how that goes.

Yesterday Fiore and I were doing some people watching at the Jazz and Blues series at the Hyatt, and we saw a woman coupling heels and a fanny pack.

Wait, let me say it again, A FANNY PACK. Really, that's unacceptable. I would not even wear a Gucci fanny pack:

Although I might consider this one..... :



We also spotted a woman who had to be in her 40's wearing some sort of fringed backless top. Yessss.

People watching is definitely my favorite sport. And I'm much better at it than tennis.

Thank you, Hallmark channel

This film was quite the find. Based on a romance novel, and has a relatively well known cast. Well done Hallmark. Television has come so far since the days when only Lifetime provided a quality made for tv movie.

*Dun dun*

Currently watching one of the best television shows ever made (see left). I think I've seen this episode at least twice already but it doesn't phase me. Actually I didn't even remember it ending like this. Man that's sad. But see! Never gets old.

This has been a good week. Lots of time with Fiore- shopping, eating, lazing. Attempted to climb Franklin the Valencia Heritage Park Arts Bear wearing our Legends of Hidden Temple Purple Parrot shirts but apparently they've taken him away for renovation. Seriously, leave a note or something. If you take away a giant bear people are going to notice.

Oh sweet, just got my new check card in the mail and I've been upgraded from gold to silver. Its weird that my first one expired. This one expires in 2010.... I don't even want to think that far ahead. Of course that's what I thought when I got my first one. Although it is a little weird that this one has the same picture on it. That means technically I could be using a picture in 2010 that was taken in 2002. Not that I'll age at all. Maybe by then I'll look 20.

Today (for once) I did the opposite of buying and actually returned a pair of shoes. Craziness. They were from Payless so it didn't net me very much however it'll be one less item on my floor and one less decision to make while packing.

And now that I've mentioned that dreaded word I'll retreat back into the land of denial.