sugar and spice and everything nice

Last night I attended a meetup for women pursuing careers in art/design fields that was put together by Grace of Design*Sponge (one of my favorite design sites). Her summary of the event is included on her site here. It was a great event and I was a bit overwhelmed that somewhere in the neighborhood of 200 women* showed up to talk about design businesses at my local Design Within Reach store (it is located about a half mile from my apartment). There were four break out sessions covering the following topics: (a) opening your own business (hosted by the owners of Reform School, a shop in Silverlake and website featuring art and clothing), (b) an artist's perspective on breaking in (hosted by a wonderful local furniture designer/artist), (c) PR and marketing for the small business owner (hosted by Grace), and (d) finance basics for women (hosted by a financial advisor from Smith Barney). Grace's presentation had great, practical advice for people trying to get publicity on their own and she has a download available on her website of all the basic points from her presentation. Really interesting stuff.

Yet another source of inspiration...


*The friend who was with me said that seeing that many women in one place made her a bit nervous, but oddly no spontaneous fights (of either the pillow- or cat- variety) broke out.

(letters)

Here is the logo that I created in my Design Fundamentals class.  The Company is Guitar Center and my concept was to come up with something that broadened the brand to encompass music generally instead of guitars specifically because Guitar Center sells so much more than just guitars.  Lucky coincidence that the initials worked so well for the concept.

copycat

I liked this quote enough to steal (ahem) borrow it from Maggie Mason of Mighty Girl:

Dave Grohl in Esquire Nov. 2007 — “Anybody who has to focus on being real has a problem. It’s like having a panic attack over how you’re prone to panic attacks.”

so, um, yeah

Dear NaBloPoMo,

I'm just not that into this whole "letters" theme for April, and I guess it shows. I even pulled up my blog to create a quick post before class last night but found I had nothing really to say so I figured I would wait until after class to post. Well, you see how that went. Probably two months of posting Every. Single. Day. was overly ambitious in the first place. But it was fun while it lasted, right?

I'm not saying we can't be friends, I'm just saying I need some space.

Love,
Leila

sign design

Dear Los Angeles Times,

Thank you for writing an article about the graphic artist who created the running family sign and for finally clearing up for me why there is such a sign by Camp Pendleton on the drive between Los Angeles and San Diego (the answer has to do with a checkpoint for cargo vehicles). The first time I saw the sign, I was very surprised since it is probably 60 miles from the border. It definitely captures a person's attention when he/she sees it for the first time, so I'd say that Mr. Hood did his job effectively. The pigtails were a nice touch. Interesting to learn that both sides of the immigration debate have latched onto the symbolism.

Sincerely,

Leila

t is for tiger

That's good enough for me.

Somehow Mike and I ended up vying for the prize in his office NCAA tourney pool. I currently have the lead by 3 points, but the final game is worth 5 points. I picked Memphis to win it all and he is the top person behind me who picked Kansas. Should be a pretty exciting private viewing party at our house tonight! Go Tigers!

I heart Photoshop.

continuing madness

Today's post is brought to you by the letters UNC, KU, UCLA and M-E-M-P-H-I-S. We're heading down the Redondo for the day to hang out with LJ and Wes at their brand new house and watch some basketball. Wes went to UCLA, so at least one game will be important to someone in the crowd. I'll be somewhat quietly hoping for a Memphis win, because if Memphis wins it all, I'll win Mike's office pool. But mostly I just hope that the games are good and I don't drink too much wine this weekend.

candy candy candy I can't let you go

Current Crush: Cella Chocolate Covered Cherries

(Alliteration brought to you by Gretchen and the letter "C".)

happy dance

The post is brought to you by the letter "Ahhhh". The CLE presentation is over. I made it through relatively unscathed. Though I did spill my water all over my papers shortly after I finished my last topic and I had a hard time with a question that came up during Q&A and basically punted. It sounds kind of bad, right??? Well it wasn't. Or if it was I no longer recall because IT'S OVER.

May this be the first and last time you ever catch me talking about the Federal Registry for aircraft in Oklahoma City in public. In other news, there is a partners' meeting in Boca right now and the associates are all going to happy hour on the firm's dime in just about an hour and a half (maybe sooner!). I'll drink to that!

et tu, brutus?

I can already tell that a month of posts about letters is a bad idea, and yet I trudge on.  Today was my first Typography class.  We'll be learning about classical typefaces and fonts for the first few classes and we had an in class exercise about spacing (involving scissors, glue sticks and pages of printed letters - somehow I feel that if lawyering involved a bit more glue stick usage in daily life, I'd enjoy it more) that utilized Trajan typeface (see Q, page left).  Generally Trajan is pretty tame, classical all caps sort of typeface, but the folks who developed it centuries ago went a bit crazy with the tail on the Q, so I immediately KNEW that I needed to make a word that included a Q.  I chose Quirky.  I like Quirky.  But maybe you already knew that.

That is all I have for you today.  I'm participating in a panel CLE program tomorrow at lunchtime and I must practice my part a few more times and then get some sleep.  Ugh, I hate public speaking.  At least when it involves the UCC.  Now if the presentation were about the usefulness of glue sticks...

from the beginning

I've been on the fence about this month's NaBloPoMo topic which is "letters", but I'll go ahead and give it a whirl because (1) my hero, Miss Ericka of City Elf (see my links, side of page)*, seems to be planning to try it out and (2) I am, after all, signed up for a Typography class this quarter (starts tomorrow!). So today I give you the Letter A in the first font I ever learned (though it was a typeface and this was before I ever knew there was such thing as a "font"): Courier. How I loved typing things on my mom's typewriter back in the day. Well, loved it until I made a mistake and had to deal with that never-working-quite-right, can't-get-the-correction-paper-to-line-up-properly-with-the-typed-letters correction paper. And go ahead and raise your hand now if you ever hit so many keys at once that the keys all got stuck in a clump without any of them hitting the paper and you had to open the cover to the typewriter and push all the keys back down to their proper starting positions. Come on, I know I'm not the only one...

Courier, I salute you. You had the best way of stretching out the words on a line so that my papers took up the required number of pages much more easily than they would have in Times New Roman or (heaven forbid) Arial.

*This is how it works when I start a post at 11:30. I'm too lazy to even add the link to the post. Sigh.

finale

Here's a meme (most likely created for high school kids, but I'm young at heart!) that I haven't done before. In honor of the last day of NaBloPoMo, March Edition, I give you the shuffle songs meme:

The task?:
1. Put your music player on shuffle.
2. Press forward for each question.
3. Use the song title as the answer to the question.

What does next year have in store for me? The Fletcher Memorial Home (Pink Floyd)*

What’s my love life like? Starlight (Muse)

What do I say when life gets hard? Wow (Snow Patrol)

What do I think of on waking up? To Die In Little Pieces (Calhoun)

What song will I dance to at my wedding? Blackout (Muse)

What do I want as a career? Crazy (Patsy Cline)**

My favourite saying? 10:15 Saturday Night (The Cure)

Favourite place? Perfect Day (Zac Maloy)

What do I think of my parents? Designs on You (Old 97's)***

What’s my Pornstar name? Welcome Mat (Tim Locke)

Where would I go on a first date? Two Suns In The Sunset (Pink Floyd)****

Drug of choice? Soak Up The Sun (Sheryl Crow)*****

Describe me: Mid-Life Krysis (Travis)

What is the thing I like doing most? Electioneering (Radiohead)

What is my state of mind like at the moment? In Between Days (The Cure)

How will I die? The Other Way (Weezer)



*Definitely not off to a good start on this one.
**Would someone please pay me to be crazy? Please??
***This would have worked well for the career choice question.
****Sounds like it would also be a last date.
*****True!!

diary of a long weekend

# Naps Taken on Friday - 1
# Naps Taken on Saturday - 3
# Naps Taken so far on Sunday - 0

I'm woefully behind. I'm guessing I'll hit at least 1 nap sometime in the next four hours at the airport and flying home. Zzzzz.

bucket list additions

I've never made my bucket list, but this weekend I determined two items that would be included, should I get around to such a thing:

1. rolling in a giant bubble thingy

and

2. zip lining off a mountain

I could have accomplished the second item today, but, sadly, there was ice on the line so it was shut down. Next time, Tahoe!

things that made me happy at lax this morning

1. Burger King ham and cheese croissanwich (no egg) and hash browns (tater tots) for breakfast

2. plane appears to be on time

3. (hopefully) figured out way to post blogs from blackberry over the weekend

nipping at my nose

I'm leaving tomorrow morning for a weekend trip to Lake Tahoe. We're meeting some Dallas friends there for some apres ski (they'll be skiing, we'll be there to celebrate with them by the fire when they are done) and gambling. It's been sunny and 70-80 here for the last few weeks, so I need to mentally prepare myself for a place with "seasons". Here's my current mental checklist:

find socks
review closed-toe shoe options
sweaters/jackets (preferably machine-washable due to Casino Stink)
camera!
figure out mobile blogging prior to departure (don't want to carry computer)
charge ipod
hat/mittens from January Wisconsin trip

I may be overreacting to this winter thing a bit, but the forecast includes the words "lows in the upper 20's". Um, yeah.

c u next wednesday

Tonight is my last Design Fundamentals class. I'm turning in my second big project for the class (a poster - I chose Veuve Clicquot Champagne for my "client" because I may or may not be a big 'ole lush) and watching everyone else's presentations of their projects. I have some pretty clever people in my class, so I'm kind of looking forward to seeing the final product of our weeks and weeks of critiques and drafts. My list today is a short one. Here's the classes I'll be taking next quarter (which starts next week):

Typography I
Photoshop I (online)

So, uh, if you need any help with any font-related questions or you want to photoshop your head onto Claudia Shiffer's body, I'm your girl.

slippery slope

I just saw this in the weekly PostSecret Sunday Secrets. Welcome to my world.

and one pill makes you small

Duke University study finds subliminal effects based on exposure to certain brands. Think I'll run home and hug my new MacBook now.

[Note: This post is in no way an endorsement of Duke University's basketball program. The author would still and always like the Blue Devils to "suck it".]

lists: that's so meta! edition

I'm sort of running low on ideas for new lists. I guess it is good that I've made it this far into the month without too much of a struggle, but 7 more days of lists are staring me in the face and refusing to blink. So today I decided to go to the website of a book that I ordered but didn't ever receive -- Listography: Your Life in Lists by Lisa Nola. I ordered this book as a gift for a friend at Christmas time and I went ahead and ordered a copy for myself as well. They never arrived. Apparently the first edition sold out far more quickly than the author and publisher had anticipated and it appears that they might be back in print next month (very not helpful for my NaBloPoMo endeavors).

Anyway, I perused the listography website today. Apparently they've set up a community where members can create and monitor their own lists and share their lists with friends. So I sort of wondered whether I would be able to find any good list ideas from the profiles of the existing members. The short answer is no. The longer answer is a list of the types of lists that I found at listography.com:

• To Do lists (naturally)
• Movies I've Seen/Movies I Want to See lists
• Places I Want to Go lists
• Possible Future Career lists (maybe I should mention now, although it probably would become abundantly clear soon anyway, that most/all of the profiles I saw were of high school-to-college-aged folks)
• Crush lists
• Classes I Want to Take lists
• Favorite Books/Music/Artists/Videogames lists
• Things I Hate/Things I Love lists

hello little boys, little toys

Toys and other miscellanea kept in my office for my amusement:

NY Giants foam football (free gift from the casino where I watched The Game last month)

minature Hawaiian-themed rubber ducky

shark-shaped stress ball

Juwan Howard bobblehead doll from the 6 months that he was a Dallas Maverick

Dwight Schrute bobblehead doll

knick knack bowl I painted at Paint Your Pottery in 2000

rainbow Koosh ball

ticking away, the moments that make up a dull day

Approximate hours until beginning of 2008-2009 NFL regular season: 3950
Approximate hours until beginning of 2008-2009 NCAA basketball season: 5520

It seems I have a lot of free time on my hands starting right about now. I guess I should be thanking the Hoyas.

[insert nasty Fat Bastard quote here]

I'm headed out for dinner and I've not been on my game food-wise.  Kids, don't try this at home.  My food consumption so far today:

• Blueberry Scone (Bought at Coffee Bean as I was running to a make-up class that was scheduled for today.)
• Half of a Lemon Donut (I wouldn't have bought the scone had I known that my teacher was going to bring us donuts!!  And yet, I can't resist.)
• Half an order of Fried Cheese Curds, a bite of a Brat and many Shoestring Fries (Badger watching party at an area sports bar.  Badger-centric food specials.  Plus I wanted some fries.)
• Half a slice of Reduced Fat American Cheese (Biggs the cat likes American Cheese, so we have this daily ritual...)
• Four Thin Mints (Finishing off the Girl Scout Cookies.  Finally.)

So, uh, yeah.  Pretty much nothing I can do at this point to fix my diet today.  Maybe some ice cream and chocolate crepes are in order.

in my heart it is March 21st

I guess I've screwed up the nablopomo assignment because technically I didn't make a post on Friday. Though I note, for the record, that I'm posting this at 2:45 on Saturday morning. Here is my quick list of how I spent my Good Friday (by the end you may understand how I managed to mess this blogging thing up...):

8:30 a.m. - Wake up. Relish in the idea of "working from home" today.
9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. - Watch basketball (including Georgetown game) with Mike at home. Spend a bit of time "working from home". Consider subject of today's blog list but decide to write it when I get home.
2:30 p.m. - Head out into lovely LA day in search of place to sit outside with food and beverages.
2:45 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. - Margarita, chips and queso at Fiesta Cantina (Weho), followed by carmel apple martini at The Abbey, followed by beer and sausage pizza at The Third Stop.
6:40 p.m. - Home to watch Indiana basketball game. Fall asleep immediately on couch. Awaken once or twice to see Indiana is losing. Determine nap is worthwhile endeavor.
11:00 p.m. - Wake up. Notice Mike has gone to bed. Go upstairs. Pick up Suite Francaise to read before falling asleep.
11:00 p.m. to 2:15 a.m. - Finish reading novel then read entire appendices non-stop, despite headache and dry mouth. Unable to put down book, even momentarily.
2:20 a.m. - Come downstairs for drink of water. Look at blackberry and notice a Yelp message from Ericka of City Elf (unrelated subject).
2:21 a.m. - Oh no!!! NaBloPoMo!!!! Crimey!
2:22 a.m. - Begin composing this post.

So, dear reader, what say you? Does this count? Sigh. If it makes anyone feel better (which it really shouldn't) I also forgot to send my friend Kathy her birthday greetings today too. Her birthday is March 21st. Off I go to write her an e-mail...

butterflies (no hurricanes)

I'm meeting with some friends of a friend this afternoon to talk to them about their design firm and about careers in design more generally. I'm trying to avoid getting nervous, since this is not a job interview, it is just a chance to learn some things and come away with a better understanding of a field that interests me. But I do tend towards the nervous in these sorts of situations. I took a few minutes to write out some quick questions I have. I know I should probably have more, but this is my starting point, at least:

• formal vs. informal training - what is needed? compare local options. bachelor's degree vs. certificate/associate's programs?
• design groups - AIGA, any others? how useful?
• freelance vs. firms vs. companies?
• web design - specialties? what is useful beyond CS3 and HTML?
• breaking in - any suggestions?
• career options with a design background generally?

Anyway, wish me luck despite the fact I don't need it today! Or any more than I do generally at least.

moving beyond the mental note

Adding to my ever-growing list, I want one of these walls in my next apartment. Thanks to Maggie Mason at Mighty Girl for letting me in on the pixelnotes secret.

on the bedstand

I've been reading Suite Francaise by Irene Nemirovsky on the recommendation of Ms. 'stina. It is an incredibly well-written novel centering on the German defeat and occupation of France in WWII. For those who don't know the backstory, Ms. Nemirovsky was a fairly well known Russian writer who moved to Paris prior to WWII and was in the midst of writing what is now Suite Francaise when the Nazi's rounded her up with the other Jews in 1942 and sent her to Auschwitz, where she perished. The book was intended to be in five parts, but only two were completed. The manuscript and her handwritten notes were hidden from 1942-2004, when they were discovered; Suite Francaise was published shortly thereafter. The style of the writing, the poignancy of the storytelling and the depth of the character development destine this book for a place among the classics. I just can't say enough good things about this book and I'm disappointed for the world that the Nazi's stole this literary wonder from us far too soon.

Anyway. Now that I've finished ranting, I figured I would give you my current list of pending reads (most of which are sitting in my bedroom, waiting patiently for their turns), in no particular order:

Emma by Jane Austin

The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream by Barack Obama*

Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer

A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose by Eckhart Tolle

Water For Elephants by Sara Gruen

The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollen

I'm pretty excited about my reading list. Feel free to let me know if you have any thoughts/impressions about any of my selections. I love discussing books.

*The only one on the list that I don't yet own. I will rectify that soon.

season pass

Here's a sampling of my DVR season pass shows:

project runway (hiatus now)
the office (new shows coming soon, I believe)
america's next top model
survivor: micronesia
the colbert report
top chef
anthony bourdain: no reservations
the thirsty traveler
the real world
real world/road rules challenge
road rules
work out (new season starting soon!)
world series of pop culture
the hills
chuck
the amazing race
breaking bad
the celebrity apprentice
the biggest loser: couples
the l word
oprah's big give

Yeah, pretty skewed in favor of reality tv. I must be part of the problem.

turn and face the strange

Like everyone else on the internet today, I'm posting a link to the text of the amazing speech given by Senator Obama today in Philadelphia. I'm dying to get home this afternoon and watch the video for myself. The text alone is moving, but I'm sure his delivery will be well worth the wait.

she cried more, more, more

My list today is once again Etsy-related. I received the Paper Moon Designs necklaces that I mentioned in this blog last week and they are excellent. So wonderful that I simply had to tell a friend about the site, and once again I was sucked in to Etsy shopping mode. So here is the list of items I purchased today:

Leila -Just Another Day flipbook from Green Chair Press's Etsy store. It is a flip book filled with pictures of the store owner's black cat, Leila. Of course irresistible to this Leila who owns a black cat. It almost seems like a conspiracy to part me from my hard-earned $7.41. By the way, Green Chair Press has some super cute typography prints. I had to hold my hands over my eyes and shout LALALALALA until I finished my checkout in order to avoid some of the 8x10 prints on the site.

Greetings From California Gocco print (approximately 4x6) from Michelle Moode's Millions of People Happy shop. Inspired by the poppies of the Antelope Valley (used as the setting for the poppy fields in The Wizard of Oz) and utilizing such things as tea stains for coloring, I think this print will be wonderful for my someday-to-come design nook in the not-yet-found new apartment. So yeah, I should have waited a little while longer to start designing the space. I'm not known for my patience.

Sure, I'd feel worse about my growing Etsy obsession if I'd purchased anything so far that cost more than $15. But someone should monitor my consumption here, because this really could get out of control.

wake me up before you go go

Things that are screwed up about the NCAA bracket selection and directly affect the happiness of my household today:

• Wisconsin was flat-out screwed by the committee.  There is no way around it.  They won the Big Ten regular season, they won the Big Ten Tournament and they got a lower seed than Duke*, which lost 2 games in the last week, came in second in the ACC regular season and lost in the semifinals of the ACC tournament to unranked Clemson.  Duke did beat Wisconsin early in the season, but then Wisconsin beat Texas (a 2 seed) and only lost to ranked teams, ending the season with a 29-4 record.  Wisconsin's four losses were to Purdue (twice), Duke and Marquette.  Duke's record was 27-5, with losses to unranked Clemson, Wake Forest and Miami.  Total bullshit.
• Because of the shenanigans mentioned above, the selection committee in its infinite wisdom put Wisconsin and Georgetown in the same half bracket.  If they both win their first two games, Mike's team will be playing against my team in the Sweet 16.  They should both be 2 seeds, with the possibility (remote as it may be) that they could meet in the Final 4.  Instead, one of our teams is guaranteed to be out before the Elite 8.  
• Indiana ended up with an 8 seed.  In a continuation of the total lack of respect for the Big Ten, and because Wisconsin got a 3, all the other Big Ten teams fell to a lower seed than they should have had.  Indiana did not end the season strong, but they were top 25 before the tournaments and they should have gotten a 6 or at worst a 7.

*I'll even go so far as to say that Wisconsin deserved a 2 seed more than Georgetown did.  I mean, the Hoyas did win the Big East regular season, but they lost the finals of the Big East tournament to Pitt.  Wisconsin won both.  The Coach's poll that came out today puts Wisconsin at #5, Georgetown at #8 and Duke at #9.  That sounds about right.

she sells seashells

Andrew Largeman: So knock... knock and barter for Desert Storm trading cards.
Mark: Don't tease me about my hobbies. I don't tease you about being an asshole.

***********************

Today I give you my list of items I collected when I was a kid.

* Stickers. I didn't know a single girl in my elementary school who did NOT collect stickers. The scratch n sniff varieties were my favorites. I'll go ahead and admit right now that I enjoy browsing in the sticker store in the LA Farmer's Market. And yes, I may have bought a few sheets of stickers there within the last year. Your point??

* Keychains. At some point I had in the 30-50 range of decorative key chains. I didn't really have any keys to put on them, so mostly I just hooked them all together then unhooked them. . My dad asked me whether my life's ambition was to become a janitor. I think I stopped collecting them shortly thereafter.

* Smurfs. Oh, I loved my smurf collection. Of course Smurfette was my favorite. (Why the hell was she the only girl?) If only I had known that they would fetch somewhere in the range of $3.99 per smurf I definitely would have held onto that collection. $3.99!!

* Painter's Caps. I'm not sure why my best friend and I were obsessed with these things, but we both collected them in 6th and 7th grade. I never really wore them that much, just collected them.

* Decks of cards/magnets from places I visited. Actually that magnet collection was an early 20's thing, not really a kid thing. In fact, I may still have them, though I haven't had a refrigerator that holds magnets (other than on the side) for some time.

I'm relatively sure that I made it through my entire childhood without falling prey to any sort of collectible trading cards.

laissez les bons temps roulez

A quick list of fun weekend plans:

• skipping out this afternoon for late lunch with my best friend
• haircut/color tomorrow morning (with decadent head massage during shampoo)
• high tea with a girlfriend at a tea house in Pasadena tomorrow
• afternoon stroll at Huntington Gardens after tea
• Big East/Big Ten tournament finals, hopefully with one or more of IU, G'town and Wisconsin making the finals
• March Madness selection show Sunday afternoon
• time spent figuring out logistics and details of planned Peru trip this summer
• work on poster project for design class

Should be a good weekend! Hope you all enjoy yours too.

say that you love me

A meme taken from the irreverant and inspiring texaslawchick's blog today. It does sound pretty much dead on. I'll have to send the text to Mike so he can have a laugh.

You Are An INFP

The Idealist You are creative with a great imagination, living in your own inner world. Open minded and accepting, you strive for harmony in your important relationships. It takes a long time for people to get to know you. You are hesitant to let people get close. But once you care for someone, you do everything you can to help them grow and develop. In love, you tend to have high (and often unrealistic) standards. You are very sensitive. You tend to have intense feelings. At work, you need to do something that expresses your personal values. You would make an excellent writer, psychologist, or artist. How you see yourself: Unselfish, empathetic, and spiritual When other people don't get you, they see you as: Unrealistic, naive, and weak

What's Your Personality Type?

feeding frenzy

I know I'm already on record here and here regarding the utter crap that is now our 24/7/365 media machine, but just in case anyone was wondering, I find this preposterous:

Really?? The most important story in the entire world today has as its main source the MySpace page of a 22-year-old call girl? Wow.

three five zero zero

When I was driving to class last night I saw a bumpersticker that said: "Regime change begins at home." This reminded me that there have been some pretty clever bumper stickers during the W era. So today I've been seeking out some of my favorites (and of course I found some that I have never actually seen on a car). Here are a few that I like:

teeny weeny

I've only been fascinated with all things Etsy for a couple of months now, but I thought I would share a few of my favorite etsy stores with you.

* I've mentioned Twin Ravens Press before, but I have an update. I bought a 6 pack of the UFO Love cards and they are adorable. My current crush at this site is the Hello Robot card. I'm definitely going to be sending out more cards to friends when I stop my current drudgery!

* I forget exactly how I was turned on to Paper Moon Designs, but I ordered 2 necklaces about a week ago and I'm anxiously awaiting their arrival! All the necklaces are amazing looking, but the two that grabbed me are this one and this one.

* Aimee of greeblemonkey found me through the NaBloPoMo site and I have to say that I love her photographs and paintings. There are a couple that are on my short list for when I get ready to set up my office space in the (yet-to-be-found) new apartment. I think this is my current favorite.

* I am a total sucker for all things glass. I even took a glassblowing class when I was in Dallas. I was at least a little bit disappointed to learn that things are set up for a particular handedness (yet again, the Right-Handed Man is keeping me down) in glassblowing studios. But I have a lovely paperweight to show for my endeavors (and I gave one as a gift to my mom). Anyway, all of this is a long way of saying that I always check out the art glass. And I really like the square decorative plates at GlassGlassGlass.

* I found erinzam's site through the Shop Local feature on Etsy, and I love her bird prints (a sample is the photo for this blog). There is a guy here in LA who is "installing" wooden birds (that he calls "berds") on crossing wires and at intersections around town and the birds in erinzam's prints remind me of those. And I love the creative use of typefaces in her stuff. Such a design nerd.

my internet girl

Today I give you a list inspired by MySpace. Because I have the mentality of a 15-year-old girl.* Here is my list of people I have reconnected with because of MySpace:

• middle school best friend - She isn't on anymore, but we both joined up around the same time and we hadn't been in touch for a year or two before finding each other there.
• sophomore year cheerleading friend - I hadn't spoken to her in approximately 20 years. Apparently she was mortified because her mom yelled at us once when we were getting a ride home from practice from her. I have no recollection. I guess I had a knack for tuning out other people's yelling parents too.
• several cousins - Most recently I reconnected this week with a cousin who came out of the closet in his early twenties and walked away from his family for quite a while shortly thereafter (um, rural Indiana is not a bastion of gay acceptance, it turns out). The last time I saw him, I was 22 and he was 18 and we took a road trip (with his twin brother along too) across the country in my red 240SX. I am not in as close of touch with my dad's family (and the multitude of cousins I have on that side of the family) as I could be. So the internet is actually helpful to me in finding out what those folks are up to.
• Mike's ex-wife - She looked me up on MySpace and sent me an e-mail. Now we correspond just about weekly.
• multiple friends from Dallas - I don't get back there to visit as often as I would like, so it is nice to keep up to date on their parties and goings on.
• my bestest friends Zach Braff and Aimee Mann

My sister joined Facebook recently. I guess this is how I'll be keeping up with all of my friends and family at some point...

*Is MySpace even popular with the 15-year-old girls anymore or have they moved on?

supermassive black hole

Here's an old meme that I've never done: Compile a list of 100 facts about yourself. Seems to work out well for NaBloPoMo, so here I go...

100 Things About Me (and I throw in the fact that I am not Jennifer Aniston for free):

1. I am a youngest child.
2. I was born in Rochester, NY.
3. I'm an Aquarius. I don't know what, if any, sign is rising. I don't even know what that means.
4. I am just barely a child of the 1970's. By a month and 5 days.
5. My parents separated for good (they separated several times before and during my childhood) when I was 13.
6. My dad died of cancer when I was 18. He had Hodgkin's Disease when I was an infant and did radiation treatment in the early 1970's. The cancer he died of was a result of the radiation treatment. It gave him 18 extra years.
7. I was incredibly shy as a child.
8. My sister and I used to dress the same even though she was 5 years older than me. I think she liked having a Mini Me.
9. We also both got Dorothy Hamel haircuts in the late '70's.
10. My mom bred and showed Newfoundlands when I was a teenager. I was very embarrassed by this fact.
11. My first car was a black, 2-door, 4-speed 1980 VW Rabbit. With a hand-crank sunroof.
12. I was a cheerleader for football and basketball during my sophomore year of high school.
13. My high school was very cliquey. The fact that it had fraternities and sororities turned me off of the idea of those for college too.
14. The only time in my life that I've been hospitalized was my freshman year of college. I had meningitis.
15. When I answered the questions on the patient intake form at Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester during that hospitalization, I truthfully answered as follows:

Have you ever been hospitalized? No.
Have you ever been a patient at Strong Memorial Hospital? Yes.

(It was the hospital I was born in. They brought out my file from 1970 and I got to see my little baby footprints.)
16. I went to University of Rochester for undergrad because that is where my dad wanted me to go (he had a PhD. in Political Science from U of R).
17. I didn't enjoy my time at U of R very much. I kind of wish I had picked my school myself.
18. I graduated college during a recession (1992) and spent two years working for a restaurant chain before I decided to go to law school.
19. I put very little thought into whether to go to business school or law school and ended up in law school because I took the LSAT first and did very well on it.
20. I scored in the 99th percentile on the LSAT.
21. I went to law school at Georgetown.
22. I had a great time in law school. I was in the section with the reputation for slacking off and partying. We slacked off and partied.
23. Allen Iverson was playing college ball for G'town while I was in school there. He was amazing.
24. I did public interest work during my law school summers instead of working for law firms. I didn't have a job lined up when I graduated.
25. Despite fact 24 above, I've been working for large firms for the past decade.
26. I despise the billable hour model.
27. My first name is Persian and means "deep, dark as night".
28. I have a very fair complexion.
29. I had a patch of skin cancer removed from my left shoulder shortly after I moved to Los Angeles.
30. The dermatologist told me to avoid spending time in the sun from April through September.
31. I've ignored his advice. Though I am a huge user of sunblock.
32. I am happiest when I am outside in the sunshine.
33. I got married when I was 24 and divorced when I was 30.
34. I've been "living in sin" with my current boyfriend for 4 years.
35. My current favorite book is Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer.
36. My favorite movie is Garden State.
37. I have seen part or all of every season of The Real World. When it started, I was in the target age group. Now... I am not.
38. I know a lot about pop culture.
39. I live three doors down from the apartment where Lauren and Audrina live. If you know who Lauren and Audrina are, you also know a lot about pop culture.
40. I did not do drugs (other than drinking) when I was in high school or college.
41. I was suspended from high school for 2 or 3 days during my junior year for getting drunk at school.
42. I played in a bowling league with my dad when I was in high school. It was our week-night together (Wednesday nights) and the league was my dad's coworkers.
43. I'm not at all a good bowler. But I really enjoy bowling.
44. Some friends and I climbed onto the glass roof of the commons building at college during my senior week and was spotted and chased by campus security. They did not catch us.
45. If I didn't dye my hair, it would be noticeably grey.
46. I've colored my hair in some fashion since college.
47. I was a blonde kid and I do not look good with blonde hair as an adult. Wrong skin tone.
48. I've never liked McDonald's food. Hated it as a kid.
49. I am a huge fan, however, of the Taco Bell Mexican Pizza (no meat) and the Burger King Ham and Cheese Croissanwich (no egg).
50. I was a flexitarian (a vegetarian who ate fish and ate other meat on rare occasions) for about 3 years. I started eating meat again full-time last year.
51. I was raised in a household without religion. My dad was atheist (raised Catholic) and my mom was a lapsed Baptist.
52. I tried out several religions as a kid/young adult. I am now a confirmed Catholic. I do not practice.
53. I consider myself agnostic, yet spiritual.
54. I think that organized religions tend to create more problems throughout the world than they solve.
55. I love to read.
56. I love to travel. I take a lot of beach vacations, but I prefer going to places that I can learn something about/see something new.
57. I am planning to go to Peru this year.
58. I regret that I never got around to learning Spanish.
59. I drink herbal tea every day. Mint and chamomile are generally my favorites.
60. I have never been any good at team sports. I am an ok golfer (would be much better if I could figure out how to get more distance).
61. Until I started taking Zyrtek every day, I used to sneeze all the time. I've sneezed over 20 times consecutively. People used to make fun of my sneezing.
62. I'm not entirely sure what I'm allergic to, but the list definitely includes cats, mold, mildew, some pollens.
63. I did not vote in the primaries. If I had, it would have been for Obama.
64. I prefer dive bars to trendy places. I prefer gay clubs to straight clubs.
65. I will not wait in line anywhere that involves a bouncer or a velvet rope. It is possible to live in LA and avoid such places completely. This surprises some people.
66. I have never (knock on wood) caused a traffic accident. I've been in just a couple.
67. I curse a lot at other drivers. I've been trying to get better about this.
68. I prefer walking to driving.
69. I don't think that caffeine affects me.
70. I sort of feel the same way about pot.
71. I don't know what I want to be when I grow up.
72. I don't plan to grow up.
73. I love all puzzles. I'm a game nerd.
74. I am introverted, but I've learned to act like an extrovert.
75. When I'm living with someone, I treasure my time alone. When I live alone, I treasure my time out and about with friends.
76. I have always loved giraffes. My favorite stuffed animal was Gaffey, a light yellow giraffe.
77. I dislike talking on the phone. If you don't use e-mail to communicate, we are unlikely to have a close relationship.
78. Very few people know me very well.
79. I love pickles.
80. My first memory is of my sister and me feeding horses when I was 3.
81. I have a MySpace page and a Facebook page.
82. I prefer to spend my lunch hour by myself reading in the sunshine instead of having lunch with people.
83. I dislike mushrooms.
84. I played the clarinet and the piano when I was young.
85. I had horrible migraine headaches from the age 13 through 19. During 7th grade I was in the nurse's office at least once every couple of weeks with them. Light shows, throwing up, etc. Miserable. I'm very careful to take aspirin at the first sign of vision problems now because of my history with headaches, but I haven't had one in over a decade.
86. When I was a kid, my dad's brothers and sisters (he was one of 10 children) would play sheepshead or pinochle at family gatherings and I was the only niece/nephew who was allowed to play with the adults (there were 40-some-odd cousins) because I knew all the rules and played the games well.
87. I have a namesake.
88. My first (non-babysitting) job was Ice Cream Scooper at Friendly's.
89. I love watching home improvement shows.
90. I almost always have my computer on my lap and multi-task when watching tv.
91. I disagree with Democrats on a lot of fiscal issues but I find it impossible (and possibly immoral) to vote for anyone who adopts the Republicans' platform views with respect to social issues.
92. I was bullied in both middle school and high school.
93. My first crush was on George Harrison. He was always my favorite Beatle.
94. My gramma always used to bring us a bag of Kraft caramels whenever she visited us. She stopped traveling to visit us in 1978 but I still associate those caramel squares with gramma.
95. I dislike scary movies and gratuitous violence.
96. My first concert was David Gilmour at SPAC when I was twelve or thirteen. That was also my first exposure to people smoking pot. Although my dad kept pot seeds in his desk drawer at home.
97. I did study abroad in Rennes, France when I was 19. I did not get along at all with my French family.
98. The only acting I've ever done was playing the part of the narrator in a school play about blood cells when I was in 6th grade. Andrea Armstrong was the lead, Rosie the Red Blood Cell.
99. I was 17 when I had sex for the first time. I just realized while typing this how much I dislike the phrase "lost my virginity".
100. I'm still using my ex's last name. If I could, I would just drop having a last name altogether, but apparently that only works for Cher and Madonna.

give me down-to-there hair

Mike and I have been spending a couple of hours per weekend at The Abbey since the weekend weather has been trending toward spectacular. The Abbey is originally (and still predominantly) a gay bar in West Hollywood with the best patio action in the city*.

Today I give you the list of interesting (some successful, some less so) hairstyles at The Abbey this lovely Sunday afternoon:

• Heat Miser-Modified Pompadour -- the twenty-something boy sporting this style really worked it. He had a lot of hair to work with and his strategy was to add a lot of product into a loose pompadour, which deconstructed over the couple of hours we were there into a not-so-modified Heat Miser 'do by the end of the day. I admit that Heat Miser is one of my faves, so it totally worked for me.
• Gremlins Mohawk -- according to Mike, the guy who had this short spiky mohawk looked a lot like the main evil Gremlin from the 1980's movie. Mike even knew that gremlin's name. I do not. I give it a Meh.
• Updated George Harrison -- this thirty-something guy had the center part and the long feathered locks that hearkened back to Let It Be-era George Harrison. This is a look you don't see often these days and I have to admit it was cool in a very retro sort of way.
• Cotton Candy Hair -- Recently dyed platinum blonde locks on a cute lesbian girl. Worked for her. Lots of product required to create the proper cotton candy texture.
• Trying-Too-Hard Rocker -- If you want to do the long hair dirtbag look, I shouldn't see the recently cut in layers and you shouldn't spend so much time scanning the crowd to see if anyone notices how little you are trying. Very LA.

*I still don't understand why Dallas has better patio options than LA does, as LA weather seems to lend itself to massive amounts of time sitting on the patio much more than Dallas does, but mine is not to question why...

I wish I was a little bit taller

Things that happened in NCAA basketball today:

1. Georgetown beat Louisville to win the Big East regular season title.
2. Wisconsin won the Big Ten regular season title.
3. UCLA almost (should have) lost to Cal. They already sealed the Pac10 regular season title with their overtime win over Stanford this week.
4. UNC beat Duke for the ACC regular season title.

On to the big conference tournaments and then to the selection show next weekend! I love this time of year.

sing a song of good times, not bad

I used to see a lot more concerts than I do these days. However my "not that many concerts" probably still will sound like a lot, so I decided, based solely on the concerts that I wrote in my monthly At-A-Glance calendar that I keep on my desk at work (deemed to be 70-85% accurate), to provide an annotated list of the concerts that I saw in 2007:

January

none (hmm... not a good start to this list)

February

George Strait - MGM Grand, Las Vegas - Feb. 3, 2007 (I am not a big George Strait fan, but for my birthday weekend we saw George Strait (and the Super Bowl) in Vegas. I'm a giver.)
She Wants Revenge - Avalon, Hollywood - Feb. 7, 2007 (Mike is cursed when it comes to SWR shows. I believe we left this one before they started playing because the opening acts went on forever and he was so sick he couldn't stand.)
Incubus - Wiltern, LA - Feb. 11, 2007 (We left this one slightly early because I had whatever Mike had the week before. Wiltern is one of my favorite venues. And we usually ride the 720 bus to it. Makes us feel "hip" and "urban".)
Pete Yorn - Wiltern, LA - Feb. 16, 2007 (I heart Pete Yorn.)
James Taylor - Wilshire Theater, Beverly Hills - Feb. 21, 2007 (Simply amazing. He sat and told the stories behind many of his songs. If you like him at all, you should get this CD/DVD combo from that tour. He is funnier than many working stand-up comedians. And he has led an interesting life. Honorable mention goes to The Troubadour (a venue mentioned a few times below) for being featured prominently in the telling of the story behind You've Got A Friend.)

March

Eric Clapton - Staples Center, LA - March 14, 2007 (And the tickets were free from Mike's work. His perks are sometimes amusing.)

April

Gospel Brunch - HOB Sunset Strip, West Hollywood - Easter - April 8, 2007 (Great way to celebrate Easter. Eat your own weight in cheese grits and biscuits and gravy and listen to some amazing Gospel acts.)
The Killers - Staples Center, LA - April 9, 2007 (Free tickets from LJ's work. It was also Dodgers' opening day and there was a lot of drama involving the finding of lost tickets, etc. But we saw the game and the show.)
Muse - The Forum, Inglewood - April 10, 2007 (I love Muse live - as evidenced by my list of a couple of days ago - but this was my least favorite of their live shows. Probably because it was a huge venue and I had 12-year-old boys dancing the robot to their songs next to me.)
Travis - The Music Box @ Henry Fonda Theater, Hollywood - April 29, 2007 (That I managed to see this show was incredible. This was the day that Mike and I returned from Utah after his appendix-explosion incident. However I was exhausted and either Travis or the venue had some sound issues. The Music Box did not wow me.)

May

none

June

none (I actually think that we saw Anti-Flag at Wiltern in either May or June but it never made my calendar because it was a last-minute thing. Our friend is their manager and he called us when he got in town to let us know he'd be at the show. Best thing about that show was the Tom Morello played a punk version of This Land Is Your Land with them for the encore and we got to meet him backstage.)

July

Crowded House - Troubadour, West Hollywood - July 18, 2007 (One of my Top 5 concerts ever. Just wow. What living in LA is all about. Musically, that is. Small show, intimate venue, Neil Finn waxing nostalgic.)
Tom Morello/The Nightwatchman - Troubadour, West Hollywood - July 21, 2007
Snow Patrol - The Greek, Los Feliz - July 22, 2007

August

Squeeze - The Greek, Los Feliz - August 13, 2007 (The last time I saw Squeeze, I was in high school. Yikes.)
Wilco - The Greek, Los Feliz - August 29, 2007 (The vibe of Wilco is so perfect for a place like The Greek. I love Wilco under the stars.)

September

Calhoun - some dive bar that shall remain nameless (because they sucked at promoting my friends), Minneapolis - Sept. 13, 2007 (I love these guys and I've missed them horribly since I left Dallas. They gave me and Alice a private show. If you like alt-country (though their newer stuff is trending toward rock), check them out!)

October

She Wants Revenge - Troubadour, West Hollywood - Oct. 4, 2007 (Good venue for them and the Mike-SWR curse was finally broken.)

November

Aimee Mann - El Rey, LA - Nov. 30, 2007 (Fun Christmas show with special guests and goofy songs right down the street from my apartment.)

December

Almost Acoustic Christmas, Night 2 - Gibson Amphitheater @ Universal City - Dec. 9, 2007 (Feist, The Shins, Modest Mouse, special guest The Killers, Silversun Pickups, Jimmy Eat World, Muse. One of the hardest tickets every year in LA. Mike lucked into a couple - he had the Ticketmaster Mojo that day - and we had a wonderful evening.)

Not accounted for: We probably saw a show or two at Largo (I think David Garza and Colin Hay, at least) and another last minute show or two was probably left off the list. Oh, and I know I was dragged to Keith Urban (Staples) and to Sugarland (new Nokia Live venue across from Staples in downtown LA). Both of whom were remarkably good. Even to a non-country music fan.

will you still need me...

My dad would have turned 65 today. I'll be writing more about him this July, which will be the 20th anniversary of his death, but today I just wanted to take a moment to wish he were here for another milestone birthday.

we were just wasting time

I have a lot of things on my To Do list. Sigh. You don't care. I know that you don't care. But it is March, and I am all about the lists for approximately 25 more days. So without further ado, here are some of the things I should be doing right about now:

• Drafting closing documents for a deal that is closing next week. Officer's Certificates, Notice of Borrowing, Security Documents, Power of Attorney. It is almost as fun as it sounds. Can you believe I want to leave all this glamour behind??
• Cleaning out my closet. I've been procrastinating this one for a few months now. Time to get rid of the clothes I don't wear and organize the ones I do.
• Dry cleaners. I have so many out-of-rotation clothes waiting to be cleaned right now. What is wrong with me? This is an easy one, right?
• Taxes. Ugh.
• Optometrist appointment. I get one free pair of glasses per year under my vision plan and I like to get new prescription sunglasses so at least I can see clearly when it is sunny out. I don't ever wear my non-sunglass glasses. Clearly my eyesight is not that bad. Anyway, I didn't make it in last year at all. It is March.
• Learning as much as I can about Illustrator, Photoshop, Dreamweaver, CSS. I have books and the programs I need are being loaded up on the new Mac Book as we speak.

I guess that is all for now. There is a very good chance that I will not accomplish any of these things tonight. Yay apathy!

songs that changed my life, part 1

I've been meaning to follow up on this post for some time and devote a paragraph or two to some of the songs that made me who I am, either musically or as a person. I guess you could call these favorites of sorts, but I sort of think of them as more than that. Inspirations or reflections of me. In all my glorious angsty-ness.

There's no way I could cover all or even a meaningful portion of songs in a single post, so I'm starting small. Hopefully I'll be inspired at some later date to add to this list:

1. Fall On Me (R.E.M.)

I still remember the first time I saw the video for Fall On Me. 1986. I was 16 years old, babysitting at someone's house who had Mtv (I'm pretty sure it was during a period that I didn't have cable at home). 120 Minutes came on and I watched it, possibly for the first time. At this point, I didn't really know what college music (remember when it was called that?) or alternative music was. I saw Michael Stipe flipping the cards, Dylanesque, and listened to the incredible lyrics and folk-inspired guitar parts and I was simply amazed. Falling in love with R.E.M. as an impressionable 16-year-old kid significantly altered the musical course of my life. Sure, my sister had introduced me to Talking Heads by this point, but in suburban upstate NY those sorts of acts didn't get much play. Mtv was changing things, of course. Making more kinds of music accessible to the masses. And seemingly just for me they were playing a 2-3 hour college music show. Something I couldn't have found in Albany, NY on the FM radio dial.

there's the progress we have found
a way to talk around the problem
building towered foresight
isn't anything at all
buy the sky and sell the sky and tell the sky and tell the sky

I still love this song today. I still love Life's Rich Pageant today. I still love R.E.M. today. They, to me, are an act that is hard to classify. They appeal to the folk-lover in me. To the alt-country lover. To the rock lover.

There is a concert video from a recent concert (in Japan? Europe?) that has been airing on The 101 for those of you with DirecTv and it is wonderful. Somehow even when they were one of the biggest acts in the world, they never seemed to sell out. Michael Stipe today is his own person. He's writing protest songs. He's painting a black mask on his face. He's doing things the way he wants to do them. You just get the impression that the money doesn't matter so much to him and that he could live quite happily without being played on Clear Channel ever again.

2. Jezebel (10,000 Maniacs*)

There are those songs that get us through the hardest times in our lives and that we forever associate with those events. This is one of those songs for me. I must have listened to it approximately 1 billion times during the 18 months surrounding my divorce. Honestly, I'm not sure what else to say, other than to post the lyrics:

to think of my task is chilling
to know I was carefully building the mask I was wearing
for two years, swearing I'd tear it off

I've sat in the dark explaining to myself that I'm
straining too hard for feelings I ought to find easily
called myself Jezebel I don't believe

before I say that the vows we've made
weigh like a stone in my heart
family is family, don't let this tear us apart

you lie there, an innocent baby
I feel like the thief who is raiding your home
entering and breaking and taking in every room

I know your feelings are tender
inside you the embers still glow
but I'm a shadow, I'm only a bed of blackened coal
call myself Jezebel for wanting to leave

I'm not saying I'm replacing love for some other word
to describe the sacred tie that bound me to you
I'm just saying we've mistaken one for thousands of words
and for that mistake, I've caused you such pain that I
damn that word

I've no more ways to hide
that I'm a desolate and empty, hollow place inside

I'm not saying I'm replacing love for some other word
to describe the sacred tie that bound me to you
I'm not saying love's a plaything
no, it's a powerful word
inspired by strong desire to bind myself to you

how I wish that we never had tried
to be man and his wife, to weave our lives
into a blindfold over both our eyes

Thank you, Natalie (and the other Maniacs), for getting me through.

3. Our Time Is Running Out (Muse)

If any song from the last 5 years should be on this list, it is Our Time Is Running Out. The first time I ever heard this song, I stopped what I was doing, just to listen and marvel. It hit me so hard and left me rambling to anyone who would listen about what an incredible album Absolution was. Mike and I saw Muse play KROQ's Almost Acoustic Christmas in December 2004, a couple of months after we moved to LA, and they completely stole the show. To me, they've always seemed a bit like a cross between Radiohead and Queen. And that is not a bad thing.

Our Time Is Running Out is in my Top 5 all time driving songs. Quintessential road trip mix tape material, were I still making those. Though I prefer to sing it loudly, desperately, in my car by myself. Hoping that the passing motorists can't see the tears streaming down my face.



* I thought this was a Natalie Merchant solo song, but it turns out that Our Time In Eden, an album that I've thought of for years as her first solo album (and listened to countless times), was actually the last 10,000 Maniacs album (of new material). Sorry to the other 9,999 Maniacs.

craigslist, can you spare a dime?

Things I am looking for in my next apartment (search starts in earnest next month):

MUST HAVES:

2 or more bedrooms
located in Venice, Santa Monica (Ocean Park preferred to northern SM) or maybe West Hollywood
off-street parking (for 2 cars)
rent range between $2000-$3500
dishwasher
laundry on premises
allows cats
not gross

WOULD LIKES:

2 or more bathrooms
outdoor space (balcony or enclosed yard)
laundry in unit
large living room
hardwoods/tile
new construction or updated kitchen/baths
ample storage space

I've already started obsessively checking Craigslist postings. Will probably shell out for Westside Rentals subscription in April. Good times ahead.

baby got back

In honor of the four boxes of Girl Scout cookies* that arrived in my office on Friday (I intentionally left them at work over the weekend so as to avoid temptation for 2 days longer), I give you my list of Girl Scout Cookie Boxes Most Worthy of Eating In A Single Sitting:

1. Samoas. I'm not even a caramel lover generally and these things are completely addictive. If you can walk away from a half-full box of Samoas, you must be superhuman. Or a robot.

2. Tagalongs. Like a peanut butter cup, but with a better chocolate-to-peanut butter ratio. And a Cookie Crunch (although I admit, the cookie part doesn't do that much for me when compared to the chocolate and peanut butter parts).

3. Thin Mints. I'll limit, for purposes of this list, the required consumption to a sleeve of Thin Mints. Because I think that if you eat an entire box in one sitting, paramedics may be required.

4. Trefoils. Not as good as Lorna Doones, but still some damn fine shortbread cookies. Glass of milk, sleeve of Trefoils. 'Nuf said.

5. Do-Si-Dos. Not really in the same league as top 4, but worth the extra 200 calories to grab a couple if someone has a box opened for public consumption. Cookie portion is a bit on the dry side. Helpful to have a beverage handy.

Time to become a bit more friendly with the treadmill during my free time...

*I make the same order every year: 1 box Samoas, 1 box Tagalongs, 2 boxes Thin Mints. Tagalongs and Samoas are always gone within the first two days. Thin Mints have slightly more staying power. Plus I have to take a box home and freeze it.

guitar queer-o

My favorite songs to play on Guitar Hero III:

1. Miss Murder (AFI) - I've played this one perfectly on Easy, so it has to be my favorite. They give you different looking stars if you play a song perfectly, it turns out. This sort of thing matters to me.
2. My Name Is Jonah (Weezer)
3. When You Were Young (Killers)
4. Knights Of Cydonia (Muse) - This is probably my favorite song that is available (though I'm a big Weezer fan too), but it is harder to play than songs 1-3 above. Apparently I don't love a challenge as much as I should.
5. Welcome To The Jungle (GNR) - a.k.a. Welcome back to freshman year of college.
6. Sunshine Of Your Love (Cream)

Songs that I like, but don't really enjoy playing on Guitar Hero III:

1. Hit Me With Your Best Shot (Pat Benatar)
2. Barracuda (Heart)

list mania!

I've been reading a lot lately. I read for pleasure probably about 1-2 hours per day on average. So for my very first March List Blog 2008, I give you several lists in one. Sure, I could take the easy way out and stretch this out over several March List Blogs 2008, but what fun is that?

Without further ado, my recent reading lists (fiction/memoirs):

Great books I've read recently:
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer
Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut
Prep by Curtis Sittenfeld
The Trick is to Keep Breathing by Janice Galloway*

Good books I've read recently:
Fieldwork by Mischa Berlinski
What Remains by Carole Radziwill
Everything is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer
Special Topics in Calamity Physics by Marisha Pessl
Then We Came to the End by Joshua Ferris
The Black Dahlia by James Ellroy (hated the movie)
The Man of My Dreams by Curtis Sittenfeld
The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

Bad books I've read recently:
Bitter Is the New Black by Jen Lancaster**
Sealed With a Diss by Lisi Harrison***
Fake Liar Cheat by Tod Goldberg
But Inside I'm Screaming by Elizabeth Flock****

Great book I am currently reading:
Night by Elie Wiesel


*Bought and read purely because the title was used for a wonderful Garbage song (The Trick Is To Keep Breathing, track 8, Version 2.0). Beautifully written Scottish novel documenting a woman's struggle with overwhelming depression and anorexia following the death of her lover.

**Did not finish. May at some point if I run out of all worthy reading material. The author's concept for the first half of the book seemed to be to make herself seem as annoying as possible, but with clever (she thinks) dialog. I found her exceedingly annoying (well done!) and the dialog not clever (oops!).

***Did not finish. It is in some sort of teen clique novel series. Determined quickly that teen cliques are just as annoying today as they were when I was a teenager. And the language they use! Indecipherable (kids today!). Mission accomplished.

****Bad may be a bit harsh. If I had a Just Okay category, I'd put this one there. It is a novel about a woman who seemingly has it all but ends up having a nervous breakdown, yadda yadda yadda. Just not as good as other memoirs/novels that cover similar ground. See, e.g., Prozak Nation, Girl Interrupted or The Trick is to Keep Breathing (on the Great list above).