it's a moose. a huge friggin' moose! oh and Elijah Wood

Yes BITCHES, YESSSS!!

captainkirk:ibluemyself:stepone:unicornology

Butterfly in the sky, I can go twice as high...

Can I be super honest? Of course I can...

I am wary of moving out. Not because of sky-rocketing costs of housing, psychotic potential roomies or the unreliability of the job market or even the immovability of my mountain of shoes.

It's because of my book collection.

See, I recently went on a date with a writer. Who I'm sure played down the witticisms during our two hour coffee, but may wield them mercilessly in the future. (if he ever calls) Aside from now understanding that my previous broken eHeart was from a donkey that they must have put on the site to keep me coming back to spend more money, my dating prospects are often few and far between. (the one drawback of theater) It was then that a paltry realization dawned, I have shit on a shelf when it comes to my reading material.

Ok, so I do have a copy of the Great Gatsby and I read Salinger religiously. But I also have copies of VC Andrews and a hardbound copy of a Jean M. Auel book (yes, yes I do). An entire collection of Anne McCaffrey - that I love, but is probably panned by the rest of the sci-fi world, save for her sheer prolific abilities. It gets better. I have psychoanalysis of fashion trends ie. one woman's story of how she stopped spending (Her triumphant find is a silk Ann Taylor blouse at a thrift store for a holiday party that sounds like a suburban horrorfest. Beat my Anna Sui dress for $22 and we'll talk) How to Dating books, how to love yourself single books, how to love men books, how to strangle and hog tie men books. (I think that last one may have been a present). Maeve Binchy makes a prominent showing with three books, Helen Fielding with three.
I have chick lit.
I have romance novels.
I have Asian American literature (because I'm often confused by what my cultural roots are and the best way to get over that is to read about other people who are equally confused)

What does this say about me or my intellectual abilities? I think it proabably says more about my intellectual standards than anything.

But when I think about the books that people consider "epic" writing - books like War and Peace, Anna Karenina, Slaughterhouse, Animal Farm...I cringe. Because while I will read those novels for educational purposes, I'd rather curl up with a set of Vogues and Peoples. Embarrassing as that is, reading is a pleasurable pastime of mine not a form of literary torture.

The good:
Franny & Zooey
Catcher in the Rye (very threadbare)
Nine Stories
I Lay Down by the River Piedra
The Inner Voice
The Great Gatsby
Shakespeare Vol. 1
Antigone
Proof
Fast Food Nation
Wicked
All 7 Harry Potter books
Lord of the Rings trilogy
Architecture books

Middling/Suspicious:
The Prophet - Kahlil Gibran
The Alchemist
Making it on Broadway
Eat, Pray, Love
The Grace of Great Things
Be Here Now
AsAm Lit

Total Dealbreakers:
Aforementioned Jean M. Auel books
VC Andrews
Who Are You? (type psychoanalysis books)

So still, I believe the good outweighs the bad. At least in my definition of good. But can you imagine the reckless combination of these things all stirred into one large melting pot? Can you also imagine trying to justify "Secrets of the Morning" or "The Dummies Guide to Dating 101" to a potential roomate or dating prospect who prefers the gritty realism of the Grapes of Wrath? How will Moby Dick compare to Flowers in the Attic?

And then there is the blog. At what point do you introduce the person you are dating to the mindless thoughts you put out on the internet? Do you start to scrutinize the quality of your writing? Stop posting your Star Wars analysis or Start to use long forgotten SAT words? Or do you say fuckitall, if they don't like the way you think then they certainly aren't going to like the way I am in bed...etc. et al.?

Then I realized I met said writer at an all night diner while wearing a tiara and knee high patent leather platform boots.

And somehow, I don't think he'll actually give a rat's ass about my book collection.

The Force is strong with this one...

Hey Peeps! Today only - teefury.com is offering this gem of a shirtWhy yes, is IS Princess Leia dressed as Rosie the Riveter, and the shirt is only $9 + some change for shipping and handling. As of 9am today, the shirt is available for the next twelve hours...go get you some!

And this is why it is totally awesome but also not good for me to be on the interwebs all the time.

More stuff I am calling bullshit on.

Notice anything interesting here?
Why it's two pairs of jeans, both from Banana Republic. They're pretty much the same size right? The ones on top are from last year, the ones in the back are from this year. But wait - let's look closer shall we?Um, yes, these are two pairs of jeans that are IDENTICAL in physical/actual size, but have different size tags.

So last year, I got a paid of jeans from Banana Republic - because they were on sale and I wanted a "nice" pair of jeans. They ended up being bigger than I wanted them to be, and I always wear them belted (size 6). Well I recently went back to BR and tried to purchase a pair of jeans; imagine my surprise when I had to buy a size up. Figuring that I had gained weight over the last year, I just went with it - so imagine my surprise when I decided to size up the jeans against each other and they were the same.

Also interesting to note? This zipper on the new pair...I mean what is this zipper for? Will I be putting a special bit of change into this pocket that needs to be secured? I suppose I could carry a dime bag in this pocket, but it seems like a lot more manufacturing work to do for a two inch wide pocket. What's even more interesting is that the jeans are NOT symmetrical because the zipper does not exist on the opposite side. But again, what is this pocket for? It's also a strange size for a condom...maybe it's for your keys when you go out clubbing? But even those these jeans are cute, they're not super fancy or anything...

Even funnier was when I sized up my pair of size 6 Lucky jeans and they were a good two inches tighter around the waist than these pairs. See ladies...size really is JUST A NUMBER! Don't believe the hype.

Sleepyhead

A year in status updates from Facebook, I think the App is pretty neat. And the graphics are relatively classy. The only thing is that it draws only specific dates for the app - so you can't change any of them randomly. But I like the ones it ended up with.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Nerfherder...heh...

Bwahaha...this is some dude's 70 minute review of the Phantom Menace, hilarious.
This is just the first and last segments (watching Lucas geek about and try to justify his horrible decisions is pretty funny when you get the guy's commentary.



"Nothing in the Phantom Menace makes any sense at all. It comes off like a script written like an 8 year old."



via IO9

One of these things is not like the other...

randomness...

can you tell me what is wrong with this picture?On the left is a bar of soap that my aunt got me as a present for my birthday this year, on the right is my PHONE. They are both placed next to my laptop and on a graphed cutting mat for reference. The mat has a 1"x1" grid on it.

Um yeah, it is quite possibly the world's largest personal bar of soap. It is lemon scented with poppy seeds. Which means each morning I rinse my hands of traces of opium.
the soap gets the "bullshit" stamp from Snape.

Christmas Eve is tomorrow! Today is watching 1/2 Blood Prince Day!

big deal or no?

How do you guys deal with a passive-agressive, irritating co-worker?

Ok...most of the people at my new job are great, but there's one person (yep, that one person, AGAIN) who is getting on my nerves. Maybe I just need to ignore her; but she constantly is asking me to do things for her and then changing her mind. (Getting her kitchen supplies, reserving conference rooms THEN CHANGING HER MIND MIDSENTENCE) She's not even my supervisor - she's my co-worker. But she seems to excel at trying to make me feel like I'm not doing a good job. Like today, she stated, "Could I borrow a pen? We don't seem to have any." Ok...

a) I use (hang on to your pants kids) ONE pen - yes, with all the economic cutbacks this year, I've decided to try to stick to one pen as long as possible. I use this pen for everything. I'm not that person in the office that has six pens lying around.
b) we DO have pens. I bought an entire two boxes. They are on the supply shelf. As I got up to show her where the pens were on the supply shelf, she blew me off and went to her OWN desk to get her OWN pen.

I don't get this fucking entitlement that people seem to have when it comes to office supplies. And I certainly don't like having to be at anyone's beck and call when they're too lazy to look for supplies and then be blown off when they decide they're too good for me to show them where they actually are.

Sometimes it feels as if some people aren't happy unless they are trying to control other people.

And this feels like a no-win situation. Small, stupid and petty, but still ANNOYING.

Take that Diana Prince...

Bwhahah!!

You want karma bizzitches?
I'll give you some karma!!
Imma gonna sucka punch your chi
All the way to satayana!
-Crystal Brass Knuckles

"It is sort of a superhero tool/weapon. Most of my work is about engaging the body in some way. Calling the body to do something. My work embraces failure and fragility...though you won't know that seeing this piece." - Debra Baxter on her piece

via myloveforyou

BO2009 Challenge - Day 12

December 12 New food. (You’re now in love with Lebanese food and you didn’t even know what it was in January of this year.)

While I am not in love with Lebanese food, I did have some fairly sublime food experiences this year.

-Spit-roasted lamb at the Church of Lamb in Athens, Greece. Who ever knew that an open air restaurant situated on the side of a hill in a church courtyard would produce some of the most succulent, gut busting, tender, flavorful lamb ever? Delicious.

-The goat cheese stuffed beignets at Cafe Brioche in Palo Alto. More for the company than the actual fritters - they were still absolutely delicious and came out hot and runny in the middle. Yum.

-Greek salad; I became obsessed with a hearty, fresh salad of chunks of cucumbers, tomatoes, red onions and salty olives. Dressed with a little balsamic, parsley and olive oil, nothing made more a satisfying lunch. Especially with Berkeley Bowl sourced Lebanese cucumbers, heirloom tomatoes and kalamata olives.

-The horchata cupcake at El Metate. At a $1.00 for a mini they are just the right ratio of unctous cream cheese frosting with sweet cinnamon cake. The perfect little bite. Every time we are there, whether we are going for the superb Mexicana pressed torta or the chile verder burrito (yes), the cupcakes remain the constant. We have yet to try the alfajores (caramel sandwich cookies), but I can only imagine they will not be able to match the outstanding cupcakes.

BO2009 Challenge - Day 11

December 11 The best place. A coffee shop? A pub? A retreat center? A cubicle? A nook?

The best place of the year? Hmmm...this is slightly skewed, because of what I did this year. I would say for all those hot HOT days in May and July this year, my backyard became my writing haven. I spent a good 20+ hours in my backyard this year just writing. Sometimes grant proposals, sometimes blog entries and sometimes just random email.

After I found a beach chair that we used to use all the time, and hooked the laptop up to an extension cord - I was spending much much more time outside.

But nothing beats a shady grassy patch with a glass of iced tea, Rodrigo and Gabriela playing on the laptop and the sounds of the outdoors combined with the bomb wireless connection at my place. On a hot, lazy Sunday...nothing could be better.

BO2009 Challenge - Day 10

(so I'm going to do these in sort of weird, reverse order til I catch up - doing two or three a day-both the actual day and then one of the catch up days. word)
December 10 Album of the year. What’s rocking your world?

This is sort of a toss up. Lately, Train's latest album with 'Save Me San Francisco' and 'Hey Soul Sister' comes to mind because I keep coming back to it. It's groove, rock and soul all rolled into one. Pat's got a fantastic voice and of course, keeping it local is how you keep it real right?

The tracks are smooth and well mastered. I would like a little more acoustical grittiness on some of the tracks, but hey - can't complain. It makes me happy just listening to it.



But I also have to give props to the 'Glee' soundtrack. It's keeping me bouncing my way into work and downtown all at the same time. Lea Michele keeps on delivering the hits in her sultry yet pitch perfect Broadway tone. Matthew Morrison is my new crush and gives just enough attitude to songs like "Bust a Move" and "Golddigger" - the former LMNT member also can pour out a ballad like nobody's business. (see 'Alone' and the mash ups). With guest stars like Eve and Kristen Chenoweth (and rumored Idina Menzel), I'm only hoping that Broadway stars will have a new place to go besides Law and Order.



'In the Heights' also hit all the right notes for me this year. Cleanly urban yet with just the right hardness and cleverness of lyric, Lin-Manuel Miranda's tour de force brought Puerto Rico to a new light on Broadway and made me cry like a baby. I know it came out last year, but it was probably the one album that kept me going when I didn't want to go to work. Karen Olivo can belt with the best of them - and the family/countryman message at the heart of this musical will get you every time.

BO2009 Challenge - Day 7

December 7 Blog find of the year. That gem of a blog you can’t believe you didn’t know about until this year.

Quite honestly? I LOVE YES AND YES.

The writing is sweet and thoughtful. There is a good mix of cultural/artsy commentary, lifestyle advice and personal feedback. And the entries are short enough to make me feel like I didn't waste an entire hour reading them.

honorary mention (because I think I started following this tumblr in 2008)
One More Time with Feeling...honestly because Megan reblogs stuff like this..bwahahah!!

BO2009 Challenge - Day 4

December 4 Book. What book – fiction or non – touched you? Where were you when you read it? Have you bought and given away multiple copies?

This year? Probably Twyla Tharp's - the Creative Process or Anne Lamott's Bird by Bird. I referenced both copiously as I was reading them. Because I felt like they truly spoke to hidden parts of one's inner artist. Whether you're doing it from your living room couch or a 42nd street stage - everything in the books was taken from personal experience and then expanded into larger artistic purview. And neither woman expounded on failure or triumph exclusively. What both books made me remember was that "being an artist" is related to, but different than practising a craft.

Both Lamott and Tharp viewed their respective fields as crafts. You have to be patient. You have to be persistent. You have to have a pretty solid daily routine that you follow; and within that routine - you must constantly surprise yourself, update and change it. Both artists have goals that they then pursue organically. Lamott spent several years of her life trying to get her first book published. But she remembered to take the time to grow; she didn't keep trying everything that she had done before. She changed, she evolved and she got frustrated. Tharp, driven at a very young age started off as a dancer then got frustrated with limitations and turned to choreography to fulfill her artistic needs.

Both books are about seeking out behavioral patterns and self-awareness to have a better artistic experience. Both are incredibly amazing tomes

BO2009 Challenge - Day 2

Shortrib poutine with white cheddar at Salt House.

December 2 Restaurant moment. Share the best restaurant experience you had this year. Who was there? What made it amazing? What taste stands out in your mind?

The best restaurant moment I had this year was probably at Salt House for my birthday (read entire original post). All of the food was delicious and so well seasoned, and it was a quiet, intimate affair. We tried a lot of different things - all amazing. And well..it was my birthday!

The tastes that stand out in my mind were the braised shortrib stuffed ravioli that had me quietly bouncing and grooving in my seat and the buttery, rich pear bread pudding. I'm such a sucker for custardy, bready desserts - they're actually a lot like souffles if you think about it; just a tad heartier.

But of course it was amazing because it was my 30th.

the hallway

The Hallway from The Hallway on Vimeo.

Original installation: Miranda July
via JSquared


sort of neat right? sometimes i wonder if i am still in the hallway or do i have one foot out the door.

BO2009 Challenge!

Ooh ooh! The Best of 2009 Blog Challenge!

This is The Best of 2009 Blog Challenge. A challenge to get you reflecting on your year. 31 days, 31 prompts for writing. Starting December 1st.

How to participate:

1. Write on one or all thirty-one of the prompts for the month of December.

2. A post can be a sentence, photo or 3,000 word essay.

3. Link up your blog.

4. Tag your posts and photos #best09 on Twitter (click to view aggregate). Follow others sharing their stories from the year.

December 1st, 2009
Trip. What was your best trip in 2009?

A: Easy Peasy, Greece!Black Sand Beach, Santorini, Hellas

The food was delicious, the beaches gorgeous and wine country rivaled Napa.